A July 4th disturbance in Chattooga County escalated into a police pursuit and the recovery of a stolen firearm, leading to the arrest of an intoxicated man who allegedly broke into a neighbor’s home and attempted to sell a weapon.

Pascual Andres Gomez, identified after initially providing a false name, was taken into custody on Thursday evening following a report of an armed, intoxicated Hispanic male causing a disturbance and committing theft.

According to reports from the Chattooga County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to 38 Hammond Street at approximately 7:06 PM after a caller reported an armed, intoxicated man had broken into a neighbor’s house, stealing wire. The caller, who remained inside her residence until officers arrived, also stated the male had earlier tried to sell a firearm to another neighbor and was “acting strange,” and was seen walking down Hammond Street with a beer in hand.

Deputies Whitworth, Reynolds, and Mollohan arrived on scene. Deputy Whitworth spoke briefly with the victim, Garrett Brown, who confirmed his house had been broken into. Brown described the suspect as very intoxicated, wearing a hat backwards, and said he frequently frequented a house under renovation around the corner on Dickeyville Road.

Deputies proceeded to 336 Dickeyville Road where they observed a Hispanic male, matching the description and wearing a ballcap backwards, sitting on the porch. As Deputy Whitworth, with firearm drawn due to the report of the suspect being armed, began to approach, the suspect quickly stood up, reached toward his waistband, and ran into the unoccupied residence. Deputies yelled for him to stop, but he continued fleeing.

Deputy Whitworth pursued around the back of the house, while Deputy Reynolds ran around the front, both anticipating the suspect might attempt to exit a rear door. Deputy Reynolds then breached the locked front door, joining Deputy Whitworth and Deputy Mollohan inside the residence, which was undergoing renovations.

The suspect was located by Deputy Reynolds hiding inside a vanity cabinet in an unfinished bathroom. Deputies assisted in extracting him from his hiding spot, and he was handcuffed and searched, found to be unarmed at that moment.

Deputy Whitworth retraced the suspect’s path within the residence and located a black Taurus 9mm handgun behind a small portable air compressor in a room closest to the side door the suspect had used to enter. Deputy Reynolds took possession of the firearm, which contained seven 9mm rounds (four hollow points and three ball rounds) in the magazine but no round in the chamber.

A check of the firearm’s serial number (TH022621) by dispatch initially yielded no record due to radio traffic. Later, Deputy Reynolds re-ran the serial number, and the firearm was confirmed as stolen out of Floyd County, having been reported by the Floyd County Police Department.

Garrett Brown positively identified Gomez in a one-on-one lineup as the individual who broke into his unoccupied dwelling at 4 Hammond Street. Brown also reported that, in addition to the stolen wire, he was missing ten 2x4s and a Ryobi generator, though these items were not found at the arrest scene.

Pascual Andres Gomez was described by deputies as highly intoxicated, with bloodshot eyes, a flushed face, and smelling strongly of alcohol. At the jail, Gomez attempted to provide a false name, Jnonatun Mauricio, but Deputy Whitworth recognized him from a previous arrest for Pedestrian Under the Influence (PUI) and confirmed his true identity.

The recovered firearm was secured in evidence locker #5. Gomez faces multiple charges, including burglary, theft, possession of a stolen firearm, obstruction, public intoxication, and giving false name to law enforcement. Supplemental reports from Deputy Mollohan and Deputy Reynolds are expected to provide further details regarding witness statements and evidence.