PROVIDENCE — A man being questioned about an attempted house break in Washington Park was arrested after Providence police said he tried to hide a loaded gun in a police cruiser.

A resident on Ohio Avenue told police that he was awakened around 1:30 a.m. Tuesday by a man in black who tried to force open the basement door. As police responded to the area, a sergeant saw a pedestrian on nearby California Avenue who appeared to fit the description of the suspect.

Alone, Sgt. Joshua Greeno stopped the man, later identified as Kendall Guillen-Baez, 20, and walked him over to the cruiser, where he quickly patted him down and put him in the back seat, according to a police report.

More officers arrived, bringing the resident, who was unsure about whether Guillen-Baez was the suspect.

Meanwhile, Guillen-Baez appeared to police to be nervous in the back seat of the cruiser. Patrolman Flavio Tavares opened the door to conduct a more thorough pat-down — and saw Guillen-Baez trying to hide a handgun on the floor, according to police.

Tavares immediately handcuffed Guillen-Baez. Detectives seized the handgun, a .380 Jimenez Arms with a loaded magazine.

Cmdr. Thomas Verdi said Greeno is "very conscientious, a very dedicated officer and a competent supervisor," but acknowledged the incident could have become dangerous.

The sergeant "wanted to quickly, for his safety, get him in the vehicle so [Guillen-Baez] is isolated and he's confined, but he missed the firearm with a quick pat-down," Verdi said Wednesday. "It's a training issue, and it's been addressed."

Guillen-Baez was arraigned at District Court on Tuesday on a charge of carrying a pistol without a license and posted $5,000 surety bail.