King City police search for driver of stolen car
Police arrested one man, and are looking for another, after a traffic stop and search in Greenfield that involved multiple agencies, a K-9 officer, and helicopter.
King City police say it began around 9:12 Saturday night, when an officer pulled over a red Honda Accord on Sherwood Avenue. Police would later learn the car was an unreported stolen vehicle from Greenfield.
The driver immediately left the car, dropped a loaded semi-automatic handgun, and ran away through an alley. A passenger followed him out of the car, retrieved the handgun, and ran in a different direction.
The passenger, Emilio Valencia, 20, was later caught in a courtyard of townhomes off Soberanes Street. Police say they recovered a loaded semi-automatic handgun nearby.
The search for the driver involved a CHP helicopter, a K-9 officer, Monterey County Sheriff’s deputies, and officers from the King City, Greenfield, and Soledad police departments.
Despite numerous resources, the driver wasn’t found. He is described as a Hispanic adult male in his early twenties, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, white t-shirt, blue jeans, and black shoes. Citywide cameras last showed him running south in the 500 block of North 3rd Street.
Valencia was booked into the Monterey County Jail on charges of resisting arrest, and possession of an illegal handgun.
The stolen Honda was returned undamaged to its registered owner.
