Man Arrested After Fight With Police

A man on a bicycle who fled police when they attempted to contact him was later arrested for carrying a loaded weapon and fighting with an officer, police reported today.

Colorado resident Chase Julian Roher, 33, was arrested on Sunday at about 7:30 a.m. Kathy Lowe, spokeswoman for the Newport Beach Police Department, said the incident began when police saw two individuals riding their bicycles on the sidewalk in the area of Ticonderoga and Superior avenues.

"When the officer verbally contacted the subjects, both attempted to flee," Lowe said in a released statement. "The officer pursued the above listed suspect, who immediately engaged the officer in a physical altercation. After a brief struggle, the suspect was taken into custody."

In a backpack Roher was allegedly carrying and tried to discard, officers found a loaded semiautomatic handgun, narcotics, drug paraphernalia and marijuana, Lowe said. Further investigation revealed that Roher was allegedly under the influence of a controlled substance.

The police officer suffered a fractured patella and several other minor injuries from the fight.