Lawrence police are seeking a man in connection with a vehicle theft who fled from officers Thursday.

The incident began with a report of a stolen brown Chevy Equinox at Longhorn Steakhouse, 3050 Iowa St., just before noon, Lawrence police spokeswoman Kim Murphree said.

An officer was still taking the report on the missing vehicle at 12:50 p.m. when another officer spotted the vehicle near the intersection of Bob Billings Parkway and Kasold Drive. That officer attempted to pull over the SUV, but the driver continued driving, Murphree said. Scanner traffic indicated the people inside the car were throwing items out of the windows of the vehicle during the chase.

The officer’s supervising patrol sergeant called off the pursuit after a short time for safety reasons because of the speed and location of the chase. Soon after, police found the vehicle again, this time in the 900 block of Pamela Lane.

An officer inspects an allegedly stolen Chevy Equinox in the 900 block of Pamela Lane Oct. 1, 2015.

That’s when police said they witnessed three men get out of the vehicle and flee from the scene on foot. Officers set a perimeter around the area to catch the three.

Nearby West Middle School and Hillcrest Elementary School kept classes indoors and “made sure (their) building(s) (were) secure as a precaution,” Lawrence school district spokeswoman Julie Boyle said Thursday. However, a full lockdown “was not necessary based on (the district’s) communication with law enforcement,” Boyle said.

Officers caught two of the men — the driver and a passenger — one of whom was hiding in thick brush in the 1000 block of Westdale Road. That person was found with the assistance of a Patrol Service Dog, Murphree said.

The two have both been arrested on suspicion of felony theft, obstruction, fleeing and eluding law enforcement, Murphree said. One name – Jason Andrew Allen – appears on the Douglas County Jail booking logs in connection with the crime. Allen, 37, of Lawrence, is booked on suspicion of driving without a driver’s license, felony theft, criminal use of a weapon, obstruction of the legal process, fleeing or attempting to elude law enforcement and littering.

The second man, Tyrone Leroy Alexander, 42, of Lawrence, was booked on suspicion of obstruction of the legal process.

Police continue to search for the third suspect, described as a white man with dark hair and a beard, Murphree said, though they called off the manhunt around 1:45 p.m.

Scanner traffic indicated the suspect may be a 38-year-old man who was wearing a plaid shirt at the time of the incident. He was last seen running eastbound along Ninth Street.