LEWISTON – A 12-year-old girl was taken into custody late Friday after leading police on a pursuit that ended when officers successfully spiked her tires in Turner.

Nobody was hurt in the low-speed chase that went through three communities and involved police from three agencies.

The pursuit began in Lewiston at about 9:30 p.m. when police tried to stop the car on outer Main Street. At the time, police were investigating a report of a vehicle stolen earlier in the evening, officials said.

When the driver refused to stop, an officer followed the vehicle up Route 202 and into Greene. At the time, the chase averaged speeds of about 40 mph.

“Speeds were at or below the speed limit,” said police Sgt. David St. Pierre. “It was more of a safe follow than a chase.”

Lewiston officers remained behind the car while Maine State Police troopers joined the pursuit. Police said the driver turned onto Allen Pond and Quaker Ridge roads in Greene before driving into Turner.

With Androscoggin County Sheriff’s officials joining the pursuit, a Lewiston police sergeant called his officers off the chase. By then, police knew who the driver was and chose to end their part of the pursuit.

Some Lewiston officers remained in Turner, however, as state police and sheriff’s officials continued following the vehicle on Route 4.

The chase continued toward Route 219 in Turner before the driver took more turns and ended up on Lower Street. There, at Upper Street and Route 4, sheriff’s officials had laid a spike mat in the roadway.

When the car was driven over the mat, some of the tires were punctured. The driver continued on for a short distance, but eventually pulled to a stop, unable to keep driving the vehicle with flattened tires.

Police found the driver and two passengers unhurt inside the vehicle. It was unclear what charges would be brought against the driver.

An hour after the pursuit ended, police were still questioning the suspect at the police department and had notified her mother.

Police said beyond flattened tires, the car was not seriously damaged in the pursuit. The owner of the vehicle was contacted after the car was brought to a stop.

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