A stolen cop car, a police chase and two assaulted officers later, man finally arrested south of Quebec City

© Steve Jolicoeur/Radio-Canada A man in his 30s was arrested after police say he stole a squad car south of Quebec City. The chase took a little more than an hour.

It took a little more than a hour and two nail carpets for police south of Quebec City to track down a man they say managed to steal a squad car.

At around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, Lévis police requested assistance from the Sûreté du Québec to locate the vehicle, which had been stolen during a police operation.

Police say the suspect, a man in his 30s, got on a highway, and officers resorted to installing nail carpets to slow him down. At first, according to provincial police, the suspect was undeterred.

“The manoeuvre was not successful and the individual hit a concrete wall before continuing on his way,” said a statement from provincial police.

A second nail carpet, however, did manage to slow him down.

“The suspect resisted arrest, assaulted a police officer and managed, for a brief moment, to get ahold of a provincial police patrol vehicle,” said the SQ’s statement.

The suspect, who police describe as ”disorganized” and displaying behaviours that were “not normal,” was taken to hospital to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

According to the SQ, two officers were injured during the encounter, including one who was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries.

The major crimes unit has since taken over the investigation.