Police: Suspect arrested in high-speed chase in stolen car in Gustine

A 47-year-old Merced County man is under investigation for allegedly leading Gustine police on a high-speed chase in a stolen vehicle, the Police Department reported.

Alfred Catano is accused of escaping during a chase in August while driven a stolen Honda sedan, police Chief Doug Dunford said in a news release.

Officers spotted a man, later identified as Catano, on Aug. 17 driving a stolen Honda on Highway 140 in Gustine. A Gustine officer briefly detained Catano outside a home in the area, police said, but he got back in the car and sped away while the officer waited for backup.

Catano got away after a brief chase. The vehicle was found abandoned a short time later in the front yard of a home in the 900 block of Sylvia Street.

He was arrested Thursday, following a three-week investigation and search, police said.

Catano, who has been arrested numerous times in Merced County dating to early 2012, remained in custody Sunday without bail at the John Latorraca Correctional Facility, according to booking records.

Jail records show Catano was arrested last year for vehicle theft. He was convicted in 2012 of resisting arrest, providing false identification to peace officers and being under the influence of a controlled substance.

This story was originally published September 13, 2015 at 3:35 PM with the headline "Police: Suspect arrested in high-speed chase in stolen car in Gustine."