AUBURN, Maine — The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office said a 15-year-old boy stole a car early Saturday morning, failed to yield to a deputy's emergency lights, led the deputy on a high-speed chase, and crashed into a gas station.
The pursuit began just after midnight on Saturday, when a deputy was heading to an unrelated emergency on Route 202 in Gray.
According to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office, the deputy came up behind a 2013 Ford Escape that was moving erratically and wasn't yielding. The vehicle allegedly went off the road and then began accelerating to about 90 mph.
The deputy began chasing the vehicle and while doing so, learned the vehicle was stolen. The chase continued through New Gloucester and into Auburn. As the chase went toward downtown Auburn, the deputy stopped chasing the car due to safety concerns. Shortly thereafter, the car crashed through the intersection of Union and Center Streets in Auburn and struck an Irving/Circle K.
The vehicle was totaled and the store sustained significant structural damage.
Once the suspect was in custody, it was learned that both he and his passenger were 15 years old.
The driver was evaluated at Maine Medical Center and then transported to Long Creek Youth Development Center for an unrelated warrant. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is charging him with eluding, and said it's likely he'll be issued charges from the Auburn Police Department and the Portland Police Department.
The passenger was not charged and was returned to his parents.
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