Police finally catch domestic violence suspect

Jose Garcia Padilla, 30, of Fresno, was arrested Jan. 24 after nearly a two-week search when he made a call to the Fresno Police Department to report a crime.

Police had been searching for Padilla since Jan. 12, when he violated a restraining order by visiting a home near the 4300 block of Kenmore Drive South. Detectives later searched his home address, but didn’t find Padilla in the residence. A subsequent tip that he may have been driving in an Audi ended in a car chase and arrest of someone who knew Padilla, but Padilla remained on the loose until Sunday.

On Jan. 24, just before 6 p.m., officers received a call from Padilla claiming that the homeowner of the Kenmore address had brandished a weapon at him as he drove by the residence. Moments later, the homeowner also called police, claiming that Padilla was making threats to kill a person in the home. Deputies later determined that the homeowner did not brandish a weapon, and made attempts to meet with Padilla.

When officers approached him at Clinton and Cedar avenues to gain more information about Padilla’s complaint, Padilla fled but was quickly detained and arrested.

He has been booked into the Fresno County Jail and faces a felony charge of making criminal threats, as well as a misdemeanor of violating a restraining order and driving on a suspended license.

This story was originally published January 25, 2016 at 10:41 PM with the headline "Police finally catch domestic violence suspect."