Wakefield Police arrested a man charged with attempted murder in Woburn who allegedly fled the scene of the crime to a residence in Wakefield.

Thomas Ponte, 41, of 75 Elm St., was arrested on Feb. 7 and charged with attempted murder, armed kidnapping with serious bodily injury, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (three counts), intimidation of a witness, larceny under $250 and malicious destruction of property over $250.

According to police, officers and Woburn Fire responded to an Elm Street address and found a woman sitting on the stairs with visible injuries.

The victim, a Tewksbury woman, told police that Ponte had held her “hostage” for two days before leaving the residence armed with a knife.

Woburn Police and Mass State Police units began searching the area for Ponte, who was considered “armed and dangerous” by authorities.

Search ends in Wakefield

Wakefield Police and Mass State Police believed Ponte had been picked up in a gray Audi, which left the area. Around 6 p.m., officers located the vehicle in the Greenwood area of Wakefield. State Police attempted to stop the vehicle, but Ponte jumped out of the passenger's side of the car and took off on foot.

Wakefield Police and Mass State Police set up a perimeter and seached the neighborhood. Ponte was eventually located in a garage at a home on Spring Street, which was later determined to belong to a relative of his. He was arrested, then brought to Woburn for booking. According to police, he had several changes of clothing and toiletries and “it appears that he was expecting to be on the run.”

While in custody, police said Ponte became “belligerent and violent.” He was given medical assistance by Woburn Fire while being held at the police station.

Two days of terror for victim

According to Woburn police, the victim “came running out of a yellow house, screaming for help," Tuesday afternoon. A woman driving by, pulled over and called 911, said police. The woman stayed with the victim until police arrived.

The witness told police the victim stated she had been held for two days in the Woburn home, and had been beaten, stabbed, and her hair cut off with a knife.

Police reported that the apartment where the victim was held had evidence of a struggle. According to police, “large amounts of blood droplets” were found on the kitchen floor, as well as blood in the kitchen sink and bedroom floor. The bed had no sheets and there was a “small amount of blood on the mattress,” reported police.