TURNER — An Auburn man was hospitalized early Friday after police say he broke into an ice cream shop and then crashed while being pursued by police.

Police said Arnaldo Cruz, 43, was taken to Central Maine Medical Center in Lewiston after crashing his car on Schoolhouse Hill Road.

The drama began at about 2 a.m. when Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Sgt. Tim Kachnovich, on routine patrol, spotted a dark car parked behind Gifford’s Ice Cream on Route 4.

When the officer drove up to the car, the driver sped off and headed down Snell Hill Road, according to Androscoggin County Sheriff’s Detective Bill Gagne.

Kachnovich lost sight of the car in the area of Main Street but continued to search down nearby roads. Eventually, he came across the Toyota Corolla, which had slid off the road, and the injured driver inside.

Cruz was taken to the Lewiston hospital where he was treated and later released. Police, meanwhile, went back to examine Gifford’s Ice Cream and discovered that it had been broken into. Gagne said money taken from the building was later recovered from Cruz’s car.

The case against him was forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office. Charges are expected against Cruz, who has a history of burglaries and thefts in local courts.