A 26-year-old man is in custody after a chase this morning that ended with the car police were pursuing smashing into a parked SUV on Fairlight Drive.

The pursuit unfolded through a west-side neighbourhood just after 5:00 a.m. CST.

The chase ended near the intersection of Fairlight Drive and Diefenbaker Drive. (CBC)

A pole, a tree and an SUV

Police said that it started when an officer spotted a suspicious car near Avenue P and 11th Street W. Initially, police announced the vehicle had been stolen but later sent out a correction.

An officer gave chase, but then called it off due to safety concerns.

Minutes later, it was spotted again on Fairlight Drive.

Crystal Esakin saw it end.

Crystal Esakin (CBC) "I watched a police car pull up and park sideways across Fairlight Drive," she said.

​"Then this red car came racing up, I didn't think a car could go that fast. It looked like it was coming sideways."

She said that the sedan jumped the curb and took out a lamp post, bounced off a tree and then smashed into the back of an SUV parked on the street.

The lamp post ended up lengthwise on the driveway. The car ripped a sofa-sized piece of bark off the tree and left a trail of debris across two yards.

Witnesses hear crying and screaming

Esakin said she saw one person outside the car and on the ground.

People who live next to the crash scene said they heard officers yelling "get down on the ground," and then a person crying.

Police used dogs to track the man. He was arrested a short distance from the crash.

Officers recovered a handgun, drugs and drug paraphernalia from the stolen car.

The man was taken to hospital as a precaution with unknown injuries.