A manhunt shut down a local street in Las Flores Thursday as Orange County Sheriff deputies searched the neighborhood in vain.
Using many of its resources, the OCSD came up empty after a man wanted for an unspecified felony was spotted by patrol officers on the street.
The suspect bolted, the chase was on and the game of hide-and-seek was won by the prey.
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"He ran between houses, over backyard walls, up hill and dale," said Lt. Steve Gil of the OCSD. "We thought he went into a particular residence and it turned out he did not."
Gil said that the Special Weapons and Tactics unit was not part of the event, although a police helicopter and K-9 units were involved.
"At no time was there believed to be a danger to the public at large," Gil said. "We don't know him to have any weapons at this time. He may have been armed previously, but was not believed to be armed today. We don't know what he could have acquired inside the house."
Sheriff deputies thought the suspect had locked himself in a house in the 100 block of Shea Ridge, a cul-de-sac off of Meandering Trail in Las Flores that backs up the foothills.
"In this case, we used time and all of our tactics to bring this to a safe conclusion, whether we found him or not," Gil said. "We believe he left the area. We checked the area thoroughly."
The man is not known to be a street gang member, but was a known wanted subject for a felony, though Gil declined to say what felony, and was known to frequent the house. He was on foot at the time he was spotted about 3 p.m. Police broke down the perimeter about 8:30 p.m.
Gil did not identify the suspect or provide a description. "We know who we're looking for, and the people on the street know who we're looking for," he said. "I don't think he's going to be walking down that street again or we'll get him."
