LITTLETON, MASS. (WHDH) - A man wanted on federal weapons charges in Florida was arrested in Leominster on Monday by officers investigating two reports of a man trying to lure girls into his car, officials said.
Officers investigating an incident on Sunday during which a suspicious man allegedly tried to lure a girl into his car on Duck Pond Drive determined a similar incident involving the same suspect had occurred about two weeks earlier in Littleton, Littleton Police Chief Matthew Pinard and Groton Police Chief Michael Luth said in a joint statement.
As the investigation continued, officers developed information that the suspect in the Littleton incident was Jorge Luis Ayala-Mercado, 26, of Lakeland, Florida, who was being actively sought by the U.S. Marshal Service on a federal fugitive warrant for firearms violations in Florida.
Mercado was later located and arrested without incident in Leominster.
In a statement, Pinard said, “This a great example of law enforcement agencies working together to locate and arrest a violent and potentially dangerous fugitive. I’m grateful for the support of our partners with the Groton and Leominster Police Departments, Massachusetts State Police and the U.S. Marshal Service.”
Although the investigation into the Littleton incident remains under investigation, no charges are pending at this time.
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