Accused burglar fleeing cops crashes and causes BART delays

A BART train sits at the North Concord/Martinez Station in Concord, California, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. BART trains between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill stations were delayed after a suspect fleeing police crashed into a fence and obstructed the tracks. less A BART train sits at the North Concord/Martinez Station in Concord, California, on Sunday, March 20, 2016. BART trains between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill stations were delayed after a suspect fleeing ... more Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Accused burglar fleeing cops crashes and causes BART delays 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

UPDATE: A car was reported on the #BART tracks, causing major delays https://t.co/ewPpdMRKh0 pic.twitter.com/YuafM31lnq — KRON 4 News (@kron4news) March 31, 2016

A home burglary suspect fleeing police crashed through a fence and partially obstructed BART tracks between the Walnut Creek and Pleasant Hill stations, causing major delays on the line Thursday morning, officials said.

The crash happened around 8 a.m. — at the height of the morning commute — on the San Francisco International Airport-bound BART tracks of the Pittsburg-Bay Point line.

The morning chaos started when Walnut Creek police got a call about a residential burglary on the 2700 block of Walnut Boulevard, said Lt. Lanny Edwards. When officers got to the home, they ran into the suspected burglar, later identified as Joel Steffensen, in the front yard of the home, officials said.

Steffensen then jumped into a car and sped off northbound with officers in pursuit, Edwards said. The fleeing man made a quick left turn onto Walden Road, and after two blocks, slammed into the BART chain-link fence at Jones Road.

A bloodied Steffensen got out and ran, but was soon taken down by officers and Contra Costa sheriff’s deputies who were on patrol in the area.

He was taken to a hospital to get checked out before being arrested on suspicion of several felonies, including residential burglary, hit-and-run and evasion.

Crews used a tow truck to pull the car out while trains shared a single track through the area. Tracks in the San Francisco-bound direction were reopened around 9 a.m., but residual delays lasted through the morning.

Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffsky