A New Britain man was arrested in Meriden after a search that brought in police dogs and drones and prompted school lockdowns Thursday morning.
Meriden police said it started around 8 a.m. when a Meriden police officer saw a vehicle on East Main Street, by Gravel Street that had heavy damage to the front of it and appeared to have been in a recent crash.
It was around the same time that state police alerted Meriden Police about a driver who was operating recklessly on Interstate 691 Eastbound and had smashed into at least one guardrail and possibly several before fleeing the scene, according to Meriden Police.
The officer who saw the vehicle lost sight of it, but saw a man he thought was the driver and the man ran away when the officer made eye contact, police said.
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Police found the vehicle around 15 minutes later in the driveway to the back of a home on Liberty Street, so they set up an extensive perimeter and Meriden and state police conducted a search.
Based on reports from witnesses, police thought the man might have had a gun, so they sent out a call alerting residents and schools in the area were placed on lockdown.
Meriden police said state police had several police dogs in the area because they were training and those dogs as well as two Meriden police dogs helped in the search.
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State Police also used drones to search the area and suspect was found on Sunset Avenue.
Meriden police said he broke in through a detached garage to the back of the house and was found hiding in a cabinet.
Police identified the suspect as 23-year-old Wally Little, of New Britain, and they said he was being monitored by an ankle bracelet, so the state department of probation also responded.
Meriden police said no weapon was found and no police or members of the community were harmed.
Little was charged with reckless operation of a motor vehicle, engaging in a pursuit, interfering with the police, two counts of simple trespass, criminal trover in the second degree and burglary in the third degree.
He is being held on a $100,000 bond.
The vehicle involved in the crash had been stolen from New Britain and the owner did not aware it had been stolen until being alerted by police, Meriden police said.
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