A suspected car thief was arrested early this morning after leading Seattle police on a chase that ended shortly after he crashed into a tree.

At about 1:30 a.m., police spotted a car that had been reported stolen and followed it onto northbound Highway 99 toward downtown Seattle. The car sped off when the officers tried to pull the vehicle over.

Police immediately called off the chase and the vehicle was last seen near the Battery Street tunnel headed north. The vehicle took the exit from Highway 99 at Bridge Way North and crashed into a tree near the intersection of Bridge Way North and Woodland Park North.

Police found the crashed vehicle, but the suspect had already fled. Police then received a 911 call reporting an attempted burglary in a home in the 3800 block of Woodland Park Avenue North, close to the crash site. The suspect was then spotted climbing over a fence in the backyard.

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A police K9 tracked the juvenile suspect into a secured business parking lot/carport area. The dog located the suspect inside the locked area and he was arrested and later booked into the Youth Services Center for investigation of auto theft, eluding and attempted burglary.