Dowagiac Director of Public Safety Tom Atkinson reports that his officers arrested a man early Wednesday morning on several charges.

On Wednesday, Sept. 15, at approximately 5:35 a.m., Dowagiac police were dispatched to a suspicious male subject looking in, and entering, cars in the parking lot of Chestnut Towers in Dowagiac.

Officers arrived and witnessed the suspect looking into vehicles.

Upon seeing the officers in the area, the suspect took off running from police.

Dowagiac officers chased the suspect on foot for several blocks before locating him in the 400 block of Main Street.

Officers attempted to take the suspect into custody and he resisted.

Officers deployed a taser to subdue the suspect and after a brief struggle he was taken into custody.

Officers located several pieces of property on the suspect and some marijuana as well.

The suspect admitted to making entry into several unlocked vehicles in the area and taking property from them.

Officers were able to locate some of the vehicles, however others were not located.

The suspect, a 20-year-old Dowagiac man, was arrested and lodged at the Cass County Jail on several charges, including larceny from vehicles, possession of marijuana, minor consuming alcohol and resisting and obstructing police.

Charges are pending authorization from the Cass County Prosecutor’s Office.

The suspect’s name was withheld by police pending his arraignment in Cass County Fourth District Court.

Dowagiac police request that anyone in the area of Commercial Street south to Chestnut Street who finds that their vehicle had been entered overnight is asked to contact the Dowagiac Police Department at 782-9743 to make a report of this to police.

Although nothing may have been taken from the vehicle, police still request that the owner contact police to make them aware of the incident and location.

This incident remains under investigation and anyone with information is asked to contact Dowagiac police.