According to the NYPD ... cops arrested 55-year-old Russell Laiosa, a man from East Islip, NY on Monday for allegedly causing chaos in Sunset Park after trying to prevent his truck from being wheeled off by a tow truck.

ICYMI ... cops say Laiosa is the guy who went toe-to-toe with the tow truck operator last Friday, when he confronted the repo man and ordered him to "put [his] f***ing truck down" ... before jumping into the tow truck and taking it for a joy ride through the Brooklyn neighborhood.

The incident caused a significant amount of damage ... with the tow truck crashing into multiple cars before the suspect's own truck -- still tethered to the tow -- tumbled upside down and off the hook.

In video, you can see the suspect abandon his ride and take off on foot, but authorities apprehended Laiosa after a few days of investigating ... and booked him on 1 count of robbery in the second degree, 1 count of grand larceny auto, 2 counts of reckless endangerment, and 11 counts of property damage and leaving the scene of an accident.

Looks like this whole thing could've been avoided with a few calming breaths.