A 38-year-old man who was arrested after he led police on a chase in a stolen car Monday was released two days later without charges.

At the time of Theodore Gates' arrest, police said he was a suspect in the June 5 break-in of an off-duty police officer's car in Kailua. In that incident, the officer's service handgun, rifle and other items were stolen.

On Monday, police spotted a white Dodge Neon with car dealer's paper plates that didn't match. The officer attempted to pull over the vehicle in the Makiki area, but the driver refused to stop and fled.

The driver headed west through Kalihi to the 'Aiea-Pearl City area before turning and heading back to town. Police said they received several 911 calls reporting a person who was driving in a reckless and dangerous manner.

The car sped through Stevenson Middle School, blew out some tires, and came to a stop at the end of a cul-de-sac on Prospect Place. The driver, identified by police as Gates, got out of the car and ran, but was captured at the rear of a home on Prospect Place.

Gates was booked on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle. His passenger, Tiana Paia, 28, was arrested and charged with unauthorized entry into a motorized vehicle.

Although the car had been reported as stolen, Gates was released from custody Wednesday without being charged, said Maj. Frank Fujii, police spokesman. Fujii would not go into details of the case.

A call to the Honolulu prosecutor's office, which confers with police to determine if charges are warranted, was not returned yesterday. Attempts to reach Gates were unsuccessful.

The stolen guns have not been recovered, police said.