Ephrata teen arrested after car chase

EPHRATA - A 15-year-old boy was arrested Monday after leading police on a chase throughout Ephrata before being apprehended at his home.

Ephrata police were dispatched to the area of 425 Eighth Ave. when they received complaints of a yellow/orange Mustang with black stripes traveling at high speeds.

Reportedly, the Mustang almost struck a child near St. Rose of Lima School.

Earlier in the day, police had received complaints of a black Jeep Cherokee speeding near Ephrata High School. According to Grant County Juvenile Court documents, the same boy is believed to have been driving both vehicles.

The officer being dispatched knew the identity of the driver and his residence, according to the court documents. While the officer was waiting near the boy's home for the suspect to return he saw the Mustang driving up the street. The officer pulled out, flashed the vehicle's emergency lights and turned on the siren.

When the boy saw the officer pull out he turned the Mustang around and sped off in the opposite direction.

The officer began to follow the suspect, according to court documents, but elected to stop pursuit after observing an abundance of pedestrian traffic. Another officer tried to stop the vehicle and was led on a chase throughout Ephrata where the suspect almost struck a police vehicle.

According to the police report, the boy was eventually arrested after he was blocked in by police after returning home.

The boy allegedly said that he didn't know police were attempting to stop him and that he saw the flashing lights, but couldn't hear the siren because of the radio.

He was placed under arrest and taken to Grant County Juvenile where he was charged with attempting to elude a pursuing police vehicle, reckless driving and driving without a license.