A 30-year-old Seymour man was arrested after he fled police and fired a handgun on the city’s northwest side, authorities report.

Christopher D. Blum faces a Level 6 felony of criminal recklessness with a deadly weapon.

Police responded to a call on Fountain Drive and 10th Street around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Police had been told on Monday that Blum had taken his girlfriend’s 2000 Ford Windstar without permission.

A caller told police Blum was in the vehicle in the area and intoxicated with a handgun.

When officers Derrick Shelley and Craig Owens arrived, Blum exited the vehicle and ran, Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott said.

Abbott said officers saw Blum reach at his waist multiple times as he fled police. He ended up in the Von Fange Ditch behind duplexes along County Road 760E.

Police said it appeared Blum was handling the gun and fired one round into the ground.

“They were giving him verbal commands when the gun discharged,” Abbott said. “He either discharged it by mistake or wanted to intimidate officers.”

Blum then threw the gun in the ditch and ran again, Abbott said.

Shelley and Lt. John Watson confronted Blum near a duplex and told him to stop running, but he aggressively ran toward the two. That’s when officers tased and arrested him.

Police did not fire a weapon during the incident.

“It was an excellent outcome considering the circumstances,” Abbott said.

Blum was booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 4:49 p.m. without bond.

A Level 6 felony carries a sentence between six months and two-and-a-half years if convicted.