A 22-year-old man from Massachusetts is under arrest after he led state troopers and Portland police on multiple car chases over two weeks, Maine State Police say.

Tyler Keating of West Harwich, Massachusetts, was apprehended early Friday in a stand of woods near the Kennebunk toll plaza following a chase by state police troopers on the Maine Turnpike. He had fled from his car, but was found by a tracking dog about 1 a.m. He was charged with eluding a police officer and failing to submit to arrest, and was booked at the York County Jail in Alfred.

A state police spokesman said Portland police last week tried to stop Keating’s Volkswagen Jetta, but the driver fled in the vehicle.

When police attempted to stop his car a second time in Portland late Thursday, Keating again sped off. State police then spotted his car traveling south on Interstate 295. Troopers tried to stop him, but he did not pull over.

“He obviously didn’t want to get stopped by police, and it’s not clear as to what his issue was,” state police spokesman Stephen McCausland said.

Troopers spotted him on the Maine Turnpike, and again gave chase until the car exited the highway at Kennebunk, avoiding spike strips in the process. The vehicle then disappeared on local roads in Kennebunk before attempting to get back on the highway at the same exit. Finally, a state trooper used his cruiser to force Keating’s vehicle to spin out.

Keating fled on foot, and was arrested about 10 minutes later.

No one was injured.


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