Update: A man who fled after crashing a stolen car on Wednesday was arrested Thursday morning

A man who led police on a chase around Tuscaloosa before crashing a stolen car and fleeing into the woods Wednesday is now behind bars, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office said today.

pursuit, what happened on wednesday afternoonbegan just after 2:00 p.m. at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Willow Chase and continued on I-20/59 northbound before the suspect crashed a vehicle at the 86 mile marker exit. After the crash, the suspect, now identified as 25-year-old Justin Finkley, got out of the vehicle and ran into the woods.

Law enforcement officers from several agencies assisted Tuscaloosa Police and TCSO in the search, including Alabama State Police, Cowling, Vance, Brookwood and Lake View Police Departments, K9 Units, Drone Unit and TPD Air Patrol.

The K9 search ended around 5:00 pm on October 30th. Finklea was found and taken into custody at Mary’s Travel Center just after 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 31.

He was charged with first-degree theft of property and booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond. Additional charges are pending investigation.

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy thanked the assisting agencies for their coordinated response and commitment to public safety.