WASHINGTON — Prince George’s County police arrested the man believed to be behind a Fairfax County crime spree in Maryland, following a car chase Tuesday that spanned multiple counties and jurisdictions of the D.C. area.
Police busted 32-year-old Alton Thodos in District Heights, Maryland, around 1:30 p.m. in the 6200 block of Marlboro Pike.
Officers with D.C. police and Fairfax County were also on the scene at the time of Thodos’ arrest.
Fairfax County police tweeted that Thodos was driving a stolen vehicle through Virginia earlier Tuesday.
“He is a wanted and dangerous fugitive,” police said.
Authorities have been hunting for Thodos since he evaded arrest on Sept. 29 following a barricade situation by climbing into the ceiling of an Alexandria motel and escaping through an attic.
Thodos faces charges of grand larceny, credit card theft, credit card fraud and a probation violation.
He was with a woman in a motel room in the Virginia Lodge Motel on Richmond Highway on Sept. 29 when police came with an arrest warrant, Fairfax County police said.
Police backed off when he threatened to harm himself, but were able to get into the room when the woman opened the door to get away.
When officers entered, Thodos climbed up through the ceiling and into an attic, police said.
He escaped through another part of the building and got away before police could secure the area.
He later went on a crime spree through Fairfax County.
Police responded to a report the morning of Oct. 4 of a man trying to open car doors in the area of Belle Haven Road and Radcliffe Lane. They found that several cars had been rummaged through, and loose change and small items were missing from them.
A suspect matching Thodos’ description left the area in a 2012 Subaru Outback that was reported stolen in Arlington County.
UPDATE: Alton Thodos has been arrested by the Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland. Thanks to all the jurisdictions for assisting us with his arrest. @PGPDnews, @VSPPIO, @AlexandriaVAPD, @USParkpolicepio, and @DCpolicedept.
— Fairfax County Police (@FairfaxCountyPD) October 9, 2018
A map of the area where Thodos was arrested is below.
WTOP’s Abigail Constantino and Jennifer Ortiz contributed to this report.
