University police caught and arrested two men early Wednesday morning who they said were trying to destroy a locked bicycle in front of Adams House.

Belmont resident Peter Pizzuto, 30, and Watertown resident Robert P. Martins, 25, are being charged with malicious destruction of property and disorderly conduct, and Pizzuto also has been cited with marijuana possession, according to police records.

The two men were smashing and apparently attempting to destroy a red Diamondback bicycle chained to a parking meter on Bow Street just before 1 a.m. Wednesday, police said.

When Officer Wilmon D. Chipman approached the two men, they attempted to flee, according to Harvard police (HUPD) spokesperson Peggy A. McNamara.

Chipman caught Martins almost immediately and placed him in the back of the squad car. He then followed the other suspect in his car down Bow Street and on to Mt. Auburn Street.

Adams House resident Uma Nadiminti '97, who witnessed the chase on her way back from Tommy's House of Pizza, said she noticed "a guy in a plaid shirt was running past.

"There was a police car chasing him," she said. "It was kind of scary."

Officer George F. Pierce, who responded to a call for backup, continued the pursuit down Plympton Street on foot, according to the police report.

The suspect ran into the Quincy House courtyard, where Pierce reported seeing him throw a marijuana pipe and a small plastic bag into the bushes at Quincy.

McNamara said the police have sent the bag to a state laboratory for testing, and refused to speculate on how much marijuana was in the bag.

Despite several recent criminal incidents near Adams House--including an attempted rape on Linden Street in March--residents said the are generally happy with the security provided by HUPD and security guards at the house.