By Jim Clark

A patrolling Somerville police officer became suspicious of a man who attempted to crouch down and hide inside a vehicle he was occupying as the officer drove by at approximately 2:20 a.m. last Friday, the officer reported.

The vehicle, a gray Dodge Caravan, was parked at 105 Puritan Road. A radio dispatch confirmed that the vehicle had been stolen out of Chelsea the day before.

A backup unit was called in and the man in the vehicle was then confronted and questioned. The occupant was identified as Ricardo Lopez, 21, of Chelsea. He was placed under arrest for two outstanding warrants, unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, and receiving a stolen motor vehicle.