Calgary police say charges are pending against the driver of a stolen Jeep Cherokee who raced the wrong way down city streets at speeds as high as 180 km/h for nearly two hours Tuesday morning, before running the vehicle on blown tires into a sushi restaurant.

The driver then abandoned his female passenger, who was pinned inside the crashed Jeep, and fled on foot.

He was tracked by police dogs and arrested a short while later.

This all started around 12:30 a.m. in the vicinity of 52nd Street and 26th Avenue N.E., where police initially responded to reports of a man assaulting a woman in a parking lot.

When officers arrived, both the man and woman got into the Jeep and drove off, heading northbound in the southbound lanes of 52nd Street, nearly hitting several police cars in the process.

The driver then "deliberately drove into oncoming traffic" for an extended period of time, forcing other drivers "to take evasive action to avoid being hit," police said in a release.

A police helicopter followed the vehicle from the air as it made its way around the city.

A Calgary police HAWCS (Helicopter Air Watch for Community Safety) unit followed the stolen Jeep from the air as it raced around the city. (City of Calgary)

By roughly 2 a.m., the Jeep driver pulled into the parking lot of a downtown casino and tried to hijack another vehicle, but was unsuccessful, so he got back in the Jeep and drove off.

He proceeded south, despite blown tires, travelling down Macleod Trail at speeds police estimate at 140 km/h on bare rims.

Finally he lost control in the 5500 block of Macleod Trail, police said.

Firefighters had to extricate the female passenger from the crashed vehicle. She was taken to hospital in serious but stable condition.

Police say it's not yet known if she will face charges, but the driver will face numerous criminal code violations.