Police arrested a 48-year-old man yesterday in Makakilo for allegedly trying to extort money for the return of tractors stolen this week from three Honolulu-area construction sites.

Detectives and Crime Reduction Unit officers arrested the man at 5:25 p.m. on the 92-300 block of Akaula Street. He was booked on two counts of first-degree extortion and two counts of first-degree theft.

According to Hawai'i Criminal Justice Data Center records, the suspect has 31 prior convictions.

Reach Rod Ohira at rohira@honoluluadvertiser.com.