Man stole car, led police on chase in multiple cities and was arrested in Old Lyme

OLD LYME, CT – State police say a man is accused of stealing an SUV in West Haven, then fleeing from police and eventually being arrested.

West Haven police told state troopers at 3 p.m. Wednesday that a stolen Jeep Grand Cherokee was last seen in the Guilford area. Clinton police later saw the Jeep traveling north on I-95 and the driver eluded police.

Old Saybrook police then spotted the Jeep entering northbound I-95 from Exit 68. According to state police, Old Saybrook police also obtained a photo of the suspect from a local gas station where the suspect was walking around asking people for gas money.

A caller then reported to police that they were driving on Lyme Street in Old Lyme and stopped to help a man who was lying on the ground near Exit 70 of the southbound I-95 exit ramp. When the driver stopped, the man got up from the ground and unsuccessfully attempted to steal the person's vehicle, state police said.

Officers met with the caller who told them the suspect ran into the woods. The police chased the suspect and asked him to stop running and leave the forest.

A trooper then told the suspect that a K-9 would be used, and the “suspect pleaded with the trooper not to use his K-9 and ultimately agreed to surrender,” according to state police.

The man eventually came out of the woods and was arrested.

The suspect was identified as Manuel Aviles, 36, of West Haven. He was charged with theft of a motor vehicle, obstructing a law enforcement officer and second-degree breach of peace, according to state police.

Aviles was held on a $50,000 cash/surety bond and was scheduled to appear in New London Superior Court on Thursday.

Police later found the stolen Jeep on southbound I-95 near Exit 70 with a flat tire.