Police charged a wanted fugitive Friday after he reportedly fired several rounds into the air while driving in the 400 block of Ellis Drive.
Officers were called about shots being fired Friday in that area, an Odessa Police Department news release stated, where the complainant told officers the driver of a red Kia Optima had been firing a gun into the air.
A shell casing was found in the block, and officers had seen a red Kia Optima traveling south in the 300 block of Lotteman Drive before turning right onto Ellis Drive, the release detailed.
The release stated the vehicle then turned south onto Ranchland Avenue before turning into the west alley of the 3000 block of Ranchland Avenue, and then turned south before striking a gas meter and guardrail behind the 500 block of West University Boulevard. The driver, 30-year-old Arturo Villa, then exited the vehicle and was last seen running east in the alley.
Witnesses told the police Villa had been wearing a white tank top and tan shorts, the release detailed, and Villa was later found in the courtyard of the College Terrace Apartments.
Villa initially gave officers a false name, the release stated, but was eventually identified, and it was revealed that he had two outstanding warrants for running a stop sign and failing to appear in court.
The release detailed a pistol was also found in the red Kia Optima.
Officers charged Villa with unlawful carrying of a weapon, a class A misdemeanor, false identification — fugitive from justice, a class A misdemeanor, and leaving the scene of an accident, a class B misdemeanor.
Jail records show Villa was taken to the Ector County Detention Center Friday and was released Saturday on three bonds totaling $2,500.
