Santa Ana Man Charged in Murder of Former Neighbor : Crime: Anthony Geran Shaw, 26, who was arrested Monday in Arizona, is suspected of fatally shooting Donnie Ward, 27, last week. Ward was buried Thursday.

A Santa Ana felon suspected of fatally shooting a former neighbor last week was charged with murder Thursday after undercover officers arrested him in Arizona.

Anthony Geran Shaw, 26, was arrested Monday outside his girlfriend’s apartment in Mesa after he jumped in a stranger’s truck and asked the driver to help him escape as police closed in, Mesa police said.

He is being held at the Orange County Jail on $500,000 bail in connection with the April 7 shooting death of Donnie Ward, 27, in front of a Bristol Street restaurant.

About 200 people attended funeral services Thursday for Ward, who was buried at Fairhaven Memorial Park in Santa Ana.

Shaw is suspected of shooting Ward in the chest outside a restaurant at 202 S. Bristol St. after a brief argument.

A patrol officer heard the shots and chased the suspect on foot but could not catch him, police said. Ward died at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Mesa police got word that Shaw was in the area and sent undercover officers to his girlfriend’s apartment Monday, said Mesa Police Sgt. Hector Federico. When officers approached him, Shaw ran to a stranger in a pickup truck and asked for help to get away.

Undercover units quickly surrounded the truck, “and there was a small collision” of the truck and a police car, Federico said.

In 1993, Shaw was acquitted in the shooting death of 31-year-old Hiawatha English, who lived across the street from Ward on Santa Ana’s South Shelley Street.

Shaw grew up just one block away from both men. On Thursday, news of Shaw’s arrest was welcomed by one of English’s brothers.

“It wouldn’t bring (Ward) back, but I hope he gets life,” said the brother, who asked that his name not be used. “He’s one guy who won’t change. He feels like the world owes him something.”

The triggerman in the English murder was convicted and sentenced to 20 years to life in prison, but a jury found Shaw, who was present when English was shot outside his house, not guilty.

Santa Ana Police Sgt. Bob Clark said the motive in the Ward shooting remains unclear.

While Clark said he believes Ward was a former gang member, he said police are not sure about Shaw and “aren’t really considering (the shooting) gang-related.”

English’s brother, who grew up with Shaw and Ward, said Ward had moved to Riverside to get away from gang life. Ward has two children, ages 1 1/2 and 2 1/2.

“With the birth of his children, Donnie knew he had to get out of that life,” English’s brother said. “He bumped with that life last Friday and ran into a hail of bullets.”

Records show that in 1992, Shaw was convicted of possession of cocaine while on felony probation for another crime and was sentenced to a year and four months in state prison.

Times staff writer Anna Cekola contributed to this story.