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WILKES-BARRE — Police were able to track down and arrest a homeless man on Tuesday after he was spotted allegedly sleeping in the back of an Uber driver’s car with a gun in his hand.

Christopher Russell, 20, was arrested after a brief chase that ended in the area of New Mallery Place. The Wilkes-Barre City Police Department posted on Facebook Tuesday that they are still looking for the gun that Russell allegedly had in his possession, and have advised the public to call Officer Dan Duffy at 570-208-4118 if they find the weapon.

According to the criminal complaint:

Officers were advised of a 911 call made by an Uber driver on Tuesday stating that the driver had come out to his car on West Ross Street, only to find a male sleeping in the back seat with a gun. The caller went back inside his residence and called 911.

The male was gone from the car when officers arrived, and the 911 caller informed them that the male had been wearing all black and was holding a pistol.

The vehicle had sustained some damage to the back passenger door, which the Uber driver told officers hadn’t been there before, and many items inside the vehicle had been looked through and thrown into a state of disarray.

There was also a pair of rubber gloves on the passenger seat that didn’t belong to the Uber driver, who told officers that the suspect must have left them behind.

A male matching the suspect’s description was spotted near West River Street and Riverside Drive. The male fled from an officer through the back yards of some of the residences on West River Street.

The suspect was eventually located hiding under a blue blanket in the driveway between two residences on New Mallery Place. He attempted to flee into another backyard, but officers were able to subdue him and take him into custody without incident.

After identifying himself as Christopher Russell, officers searched the suspect and found a magazine with 10 rounds of ammunition in his front left pants pocket.

Russell admitted that he had been sleeping in the car, and that he threw his firearm near some garbage cans in the area. He sustained a small cut on his hand while trying to run from police.

The 911 caller positively identified Russell as the man sleeping in his car, and Russell was taken to police headquarters.

Upon arrival, Russell told officers that he wanted to take them to the firearm that he had discarded. He said that he had placed the firearm in a toilet inside one of the apartment buildings in the area, but a search of the premises didn’t turn up the firearm.

At this point, Russell was transported back to police headquarters, where he refused to comply with officers until they informed him that he would be charged with resisting arrest.

After another brief struggle where Russell refused to comply, he was eventually secured in his holding cell to await arraignment.

Russell was arraigned later Tuesday morning in front of Magisterial District Judge Rick Cronauer. The charges include unlawful possession of a firearm, loitering and prowling at night time, resisting arrest, tampering with evidence and disorderly conduct.

Officers were made aware during the investigation that Russell has an active protection from abuse (PFA) order out against him which prohibits him from possessing ammunition.

He was lodged at Luzerne County Correctional Facility for failure to pay $25,000 in bail. A preliminary hearing is set for April 6.

Police: Armed homeless man found sleeping in Uber