UPDATE: Runaway Parolee Identified; Still on Loose

UPDATE 10:45 p.m. Wednesday

A parolee at large who evaded police today was still on the loose.

"He has not been located yet," Murrieta police Sgt. Jon Flavin told Patch. "He is still outstanding."

Anyone with information on the suspect, 25-year-old Joel Ventura, was asked to call the Murrieta Police Dispatch Center at 951-696-3615.

UPDATE 3:43 p.m. Wednesday

A parolee who allegedly ran from law enforcement and triggered a manhunt today was identified.

Joel Ventura, 25, was deemed a "parolee at large" by the Department of Corrections. Murrieta PD officers tracked him down to an address in the area of Calle del Lago and Via Princessa, but when they arrived at the home, Ventura ran away, according to Murrieta Police Lt. Tony Conrad.

Police believe he was unarmed, despite a witness account saying he had a handgun.

Ventura was wearing a gray shirt and an unknown color shorts, Conrad said. He had a shaved head and goatee. (See attached booking photo.)

Conrad said the initiated the attempt to contact Ventura today.

Anyone with information on the suspect may call the Murrieta Police Department Dispatch Center at 951-696-3615.

ORIGINAL STORY

A man wanted for ducking parole was at large today, and one witness said he was armed.

Murrieta police set up a perimeter north of Murrieta Hot Springs Road around Calle del Lago and Via Princessa around 1 p.m., and three K9 units were tracking the man.

His identity and crime were unavailable as of publication time.

The perimeter was called off around 2 p.m. when police found out where he is living, according to Murrieta PD Officer Norbert Moll.

Investigators were talking to residents in the area and gathering leads this afternoon. "We'll find him," Moll said.

One resident, who declined to give her name for fear of her safety, said she saw the man evading police and carrying a handgun.

Another witness saw him running along a fence that separated the Lakeridge Apartments on Agua Vista from an adjacent wash. "He looked creepy. He just didn't look like he was up to any good," the witness said.

Information on what prompted the search was unavailable.

Anybody with information was asked to call the Murrieta Police Department at 951-696-3615.

- Peter Surowski contributed to this report.