Police have released a video of suspected "street racers" in Pickering, Ont., that led officers on a high-speed chase and resulted in a 24-year-old man being charged with dangerous driving over the weekend.

A Durham Regional Police helicopter spotted around 100 vehicles and pedestrians blocking an intersection in the Altona Road and Finch Avenue area just after 2:30 a.m. Sunday, a news release said.

The video shot by a police helicopter, called Air1, shows a number of vehicles drive into the middle of the intersection and perform "doughnuts" by "spinning their tires" as bystanders film the manoeuvre on their cellphones.

"It looks like all street racers," an officer, who was tracking the incident from the helicopter, said over the police radio.

Watch the full police helicopter pursuit here:

Four minutes later, the video shows two police cruisers on the ground speed into the intersection to break up the group.

People can be seen jumping into vehicles and speeding off. This resulted in "multiple collisions," according to the police radio.

The vehicle that was performing doughnuts in the intersection at the time, however, fled at a "high rate of speed" northbound on Altona Road while another vehicle followed, investigators said.

Police on the ground "attempted to stop one vehicle but discontinued due to safety concerns," a news release said.

While trying to escape arrest, the suspect drove around 173 km/h on westbound Highway 401 toward Toronto. (Durham Regional Police)

Meanwhile, the police helicopter tailed the other vehicle, identified as a grey BMW sedan. The driver sped past several police cruisers, travelling as fast as 211 km/h at times through residential areas, as he headed toward Toronto.

"He's turned off his lights control. He's driving in the dark here," an officer said over the radio during the helicopter pursuit.

"I've got him at over 100 km/h in the dark."

The suspect drove onto westbound Highway 401 at speeds reaching 173 km/h — more than 70 km/h over the posted speed limit.

The driver was able to make it to a Scarborough gas station where he was boxed in by four police cruisers.

"The suspect vehicle rammed one of the vehicles in attempts to escape," the news release read.

The suspect rammed a police cruiser as he tried to escape arrest outside a gas station in Scarborough, Durham police said. (Durham Regional Police)

Both the driver, identified as a 24-year-old Markham man, and passenger were arrested.

He is charged with failing to stop for police, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle, failing to comply with recognizance and racing a motor vehicle.

The passenger, meanwhile, was released unconditionally.