An auto theft suspect was arrested Sunday evening after he was chased into a Ceres residential neighborhood and escaped into a backyard.

Ceres police assisted in the Sheriff's Department after a high speed pursuit came into Ceres from the unincorporated area of the county at 11:28 p.m. The pursuit ended when the suspect crashed into a parked car in the area of Lucchessi and Larmuseau lanes. He was apprehended.

The passenger, Julio Hernandez, 20, of Modesto, bolted from the scene in a southwest direction and Ceres police set up a perimeter. A short time later a homeowner ran out in the 700 block of Wesley and told officers Brian Albonetti and Dirk Nieuwenhuis that a suspect was in his backyard. Police found Hernandez hiding under debris in a shed. He did not give up easily, engaging the officers in a brief struggle. Hernandez suffered from a cut lip that occurred either in the crash or in the scuffle with officers. After being checked out by paramedics, Hernandez was arrested on charges of evading a peace officer and possession of stolen property. Hernandez had been let out of jail for hours just prior to the latest arrest, said Ceres Police Lt. Brent Smith.