Long pursuit on Massachusetts Turnpike unfolds after trooper confronts man sleeping in car at Charlton plaza

A long police chase on the Massachusetts Turnpike early Wednesday, beginning at the Charlton plaza, ended with the arrest of a man who was driving a car that had been stolen in Maine.

Both sides of the highway in Stockbridge were closed about 9 a.m. after the suspect and state police engaged in a short standoff.

The pursuit, in the westbound lanes, unfolded about 7:30 a.m. when a trooper spotted a man sleeping in the back of a car in the plaza, according to state police. The vehicle had been reported stolen in Biddeford, Maine.

The occupant of the vehicle refused to open the door for the trooper and he eventually sped off, police said. A pursuit followed, with the driver refusing to stop. At one point he got off the highway, in Ludlow, only to re-enter moments later.

Troopers used tire-deflation devices to slow the fleeing vehicle. As he neared the New York line, the driver came to a stop. For a short time he refused to exit the vehicle. He eventually surrendered.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Long pursuit on Massachusetts Turnpike unfolds after trooper confronts man sleeping in car at Charlton plaza