Driver rams police car in chase with stolen vehicle

After stealing a Jeep Cherokee from a ramp in downtown Iowa City, a suspect eluded four law enforcement agencies in a high speed pursuit throughout Johnson County late Friday night.

The incident began at 10:40 p.m. when University Heights Police officers signaled the vehicle to stop on Melrose Avenue, near Olive Court, for speeding.

The suspect did not oblige.

Instead, he led officers on a pursuit that went through Iowa City on Burlington Street and Muscatine Avenue, all the way into unincorporated Johnson County on American Legion Road, reaching speeds of up to 80 m.p.h.

Officers with the Iowa City police were able to deflate both passenger side tires with stop sticks, which partially disabled the vehicle.

The deflated tires prompted the driver of the Jeep to stop abruptly, shift in to reverse, and ram a pursuing University Heights police car in an attempt to disable it.

The driver then fled the scene of the collision on foot. Officers were unable to find him, even with the help of a K-9 unit.

University Heights Police were unavailable for comment, but Sgt. Mike Lord of the Iowa City Police Department confirmed that the suspect was still at large.

The suspect is described as a white male between the ages of 16 and 22, standing around six feet tall and weighing anywhere from 150 to 180 pounds,