The Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office arrested a Sarasota man after he crashed a stolen vehicle on Siesta Key and fled from the scene.

On Sunday around 11:00 a.m. deputies responded to a vehicle crash involving a black SUV and white Mazda near the 4300 block of Midnight Pass Road. According to witnesses, the white Mazda turned southbound from Higel Avenue at a high rate of speed into the opposite lane, striking the black SUV head on before colliding with a nearby fence. The driver of the white Mazda fled on foot before deputies arrived on scene. When deputies ran the tag of the Mazda, it came back stolen out of the city of Sarasota. With assistance from the agency’s Aviation, Marine and K-9 Units as well as the Longboat Key and Sarasota Police Departments, deputies searched the area for the suspect who was later identified as Dahowd Alyan, DOB 07/15/96. In an attempt to locate Alyan, a reverse 911 call was placed to all residents within a two-mile radius of the vehicle crash. Around 1:00 p.m., after receiving several tips from the public, deputies located Alyan on foot near 2635 Mall Drive and took him into custody.

Alyan, of 2507 Wisteria Street, is charged with three counts of Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Property Damage, Leaving the Scene of a Crash with Injuries, Driving While License Suspended and Violation of Probation. He has more than 20 prior local arrests on charges including Possession of a Firearm by Convicted Felon, Burglary, Grand Theft, Fraud, Drug Possession and more. Alyan remains in custody today without bond and faces additional charges from the Sarasota Police Department.