A 25 year old Bremerton area man is in the Kitsap County Jail following an Oct. 8 vehicle pursuit and the subsequent recovery of a firearm. A child located in the vehicle has been turned over to Child Protective Services

Gabriel Francisco Zavala was wanted for felony eluding police, along with several other arrest warrants, and officers also had information that he may be carrying a firearm. Zavala has been listed on the Bremerton Police Department’s “High Five” most frequent offenders and a focus of enforcement efforts in the city.

As part of that effort, Officer Jeff Inklebarger observed Zavala in a blue Honda Accord in a parking lot in East Bremerton off of Perry Avenue just before 5:30 p.m. on October 8. The officer observed what appeared to be an adult female in the passenger seat. Police say the officer knew Zavala from past contacts, and when he approached the car, Zavala fled in the vehicle northbound on Perry Avenue. The officer activated his lights and siren. Zavala drove north, then east on Sylvan. A plain clothes Bremerton Detective who monitored the incident deployed “spike strips” at Sylvan and Olympus Avenue, flattening the driver’s side front tire.

The vehicle went through a green light at Wheaton Way and went southbound on Pine Road off of Sylvan. The officer observed the female passenger reaching into the back seat, and also saw her appear to attempt to get out of the car before it sped up again. As the car turned onto Lebo Boulevard, the front tire came completely off the car, so it was driving on a rim.

At this time, the officer was able to see that the female passenger was holding a small child in her lap. As the vehicle continued onto Tracyton Boulevard, the pursuit was immediately called off because of the child in the car. A short time later, officers located the car stopped in the middle of the street on Tracyton and Hansberry Street, just into unincorporated Kitsap County.

As he drove up, the officer saw the female, the child and a dog getting out of the car. At that time, Zavala allegedly got out and started running westbound from the scene. After chasing Zavala over a fence and some distance further, Zavala finally gave up and was taken into custody. Officers located a 9mm magazine next to the car, and also located a 9mm handgun on the route Zavala was running, a short distance away. Both were taken into evidence. It was determined that the license plates on the car were stolen. A K-9 check of the vehicle indicated the presence of narcotics and it was impounded pending a search warrant.

The passenger, identified as 28 year old Alexandria Rogers, had a felony arrest warrant for possession of methamphetamine out of Mason County and was jailed on the warrant. The dog, a pit bull, was turned over to Kitsap County Animal Control.

Police say the child is the daughter of the driver and was turned over to Child Protective Services.

Zavala was jailed under suspicion of possession of stolen property in the first degree, felony eluding police and reckless endangerment.

“In his selfish effort to get away from police, Zavala placed the public, his girlfriend, and his own 5-year-old child in danger,” said Bremerton Police Chief Steve Strachan.

Strachan credited his officers with good judgment in shutting down the pursuit immediately upon seeing the child in the car, which is consistent with department policy. Detectives will seek to add charges of a felon in possession of a firearm pending additional investigation.