5 police cars damaged in high-speed Kokomo chase

KOKOMO, Ind. -  Authorities say a teenager who stole his father's sport-utility vehicle rammed a police cruiser and endangered a line of shoppers at a Kokomo mall during a high-speed police chase.

No one was injured in the chase early Friday, though five police cars were damaged. The 17-year-old California boy was being held on juvenile charges and his identity wasn't released.

Police say the youth sped way after a traffic stop, traveling the wrong way on U.S. 31 at one point and continuing on a bare rim after losing a tire.

The SUV then entered a parking lot at Markland Mall where officers forced it into a ditch to avoid hitting holiday shoppers, but police say the driver got back on the road and continued until hitting a tree.