A 39-year-old Ceres man who was on probation and had a felony warrant for auto theft was back in jail Friday afternoon after he broke into someone’s car.

Ceres Police Officer Eric Souza was in the 3300 block of Whitmore Avenue at 12:27 p.m. investigating a vacant residence when Johnny Qualls, 39, of Ceres fled on a bicycle. Officer Souza attempted to stop Qualls but he continued fleeing and he lost sight of him in the 2700 block of Moore Road.

Qualls apparently attempted to divert officers by calling 911 to falsely report a burglary but police confirmed no such crime was occurring and suspected it was a ruse.

Meanwhile a resident called police to say she saw a man matching Qualls’ description break into her car in front of her home and believed he was still inside. Officers checked the vehicle and located Qualls hiding.

A records check revealed Qualls was wanted on an auto theft charge. He was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center for the warrant, resisting arrest, vehicle tampering and false reporting of an emergency.