Update: A man who fled after crashing in 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.

The chase, which occurred Wednesday afternoon, began just after 2 p.m. at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and Willow Chase and continued northbound on I-20/59 before the suspect crashed the vehicle at the 86 mile marker exit. After the crash, the suspect, now identified as 25-year-old Justin Finkley, got out of the car and ran into the woods.

Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies assisted Tuscaloosa Police and TCSO in the search, including the Alabama, Coaling, Vance, Brookwood and Lake View police departments, K9 units, drone unit and TPD Air Patrol.

K9 tracking and retrieval operations concluded around 5:00 pm on October 30th. Finkley was found and taken into custody at Mary’s Visitor Center just after 10am on Thursday, October 31st.

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

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