PASADENA >> Police arrested a previously convicted felon and seized two handguns from his car after he ran from officers after they pulled him over in Pasadena on Saturday morning, officials said.
Ronald Hopkins, 27, of Altadena was booked on suspicion of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms, according to Pasadena police Lt. Mark Goodman.
The incident just after 10 a.m. when officers tried to pull over a car for a traffic violation on Orange Grove Boulevard, just west of Los Robles Avenue, he said.
“During the course of the traffic stop, the suspect fled on foot,” Goodman said. “ Officers engaged in a foot pursuit and lost the suspect in a back yard in the 500 block of Ashtabula Street.”
Officers set up a search perimeter, with help from two police dogs and a helicopter, the lieutenant said.
Police ultimately found Hopkins hiding under a pile of debris in a residential backyard, he said.
He initially refused orders to surrender, but was ultimately taken into custody without a struggle, Goodman said.
“Two handguns were recovered from the vehicle being driven by the suspect,” he said. “Officers in this incident used excellent coordination and tactics to affect the arrest of a dangerous criminal.”
According to Los Angeles County booking records, Hopkins was being held in lieu of $35,000 bail pending his initial court appearance.