A 44-year-old Hilmar man was arrested in Ceres early Thursday as he allegedly was attempting to cut a catalytic converter from a parked red SUV.

A resident in the area of Flower Garden Court and Blaker Road called 911 at 12:22 a.m. to report hearing the sound of metal being cut by a saw and seeing a silver Honda Accord stopped near a red SUV from where the sound was coming.

Ceres Police quickly arrived as the suspect was leaving. Sgt. Vince Hooper pulled over the Honda and contacted Freddy Davis, 44, of Hilmar. Sgt. Hooper noticed a red floor jack along with a saw blade on the passenger floorboard. His investigation revealed that Davis was involved with the attempt to steal a catalytic converter. He was arrested and booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center for attempted grand theft.