The suspect, named as Cedric Brown, was held when the car was stopped a mile away by police in Erdington, West Midlands, by police who were out in force after reports of a burglary.
Brown, 44, is wanted for questioning about attempted murder and aggravated burglary in Bristol two years ago. Featured on BBC TV's Crimewatch and the subject of many appeals for information, the attack saw a husband and wife tied up and slashed with a knife in an attempt to force them to reveal valuables.
West Midlands police said the mother of a one-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl was pulled from her Ford Focus after police arrived at Slade Road, Erdington, where the burglary had been reported. Sergeant Nicholas Barnes said: "Several police vehicles were in pursuit and the man abandoned the Ford Focus in South Grove where he was arrested by officers who then spotted the toddlers.
"Thankfully, neither of them was hurt and we quickly reunited them with their mum, who naturally was extremely relieved. Officers responded to calls of the burglary within minutes. The suspects simply didn't have enough time to get away from the location before they were swamped by police." Two other men, aged 18 and 19, from Birmingham, were arrested in a nearby alley and are being questioned over the burglary. Brown, known as Skipper and originally from Birmingham, is being questioned about the burglary and the Bristol attack.
He is thought to have hidden out in Birmingham since the incident at a farmhouse near Bristol in November 2010 when a 49-year-old man was slashed in the face, head and stomach while his wife was forced to watch. The intruders who were after money fled, eluding an intensive police search which involved the Western Counties police helicopter.
Det Insp Jill Kells of Avon and Somerset police said at the time: "This was a very serious assault and it's important we find the men responsible quickly. It was obviously terrifying for the victims."
