University Police arrested a man driving a stolen vehicle Saturday after he led them on a chase through Hyattsville, crashed into a parked car and attempted to flee the scene, police said.
The chase began after police discovered a green Honda’s registration had been canceled and attempted to pull the car over, University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell said. The southbound car turned onto 42nd Avenue, where it “rapidly accelerated and continued through a neighborhood,” Atwell said.
Other University Police officers joined in the chase, which continued along Queens Chapel before turning briefly onto East West Highway, then Queensbury Avenue, Atwell said. The chase ended when the driver crashed into a parked Dodge Durango.
After the crash, Atwell said the man fled the vehicle and police began a foot chase.
“Officers chased the driver through a yard and over a fence, where he ran to the back of the house,” she said. “University officers and an officer from Riverdale caught up with the driver to get him on the ground and they arrested him.”
Police charged Hyattsville resident Eduardo B. Garcia, 20, with motor vehicle theft, larceny theft, resisting arrest and malicious destruction of property. The man had no university affiliation, Atwell said.
Upon inspecting the vehicle, police found the steering column had been opened and the ignition tampered with, Atwell said. The car’s stereo was also missing.
It was the first stolen vehicle arrest University Police reported this year. Last year, police arrested 36 people and charged them with motor vehicle theft.
Contact reporter Kevin Litten at littendbk@gmail.com.
