BELFAIR — Two Port Angeles teenagers were arrested after leading a State Patrol trooper on a short chase ending in a crash in Kitsap County.
The State Patrol did not name the two teens, who are 16 and 17 years old, because they are juveniles accused of criminal activity.
Both boys were arrested for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle.
The 16 year-old driver also was arrested for investigation of felony eluding.
The State Patrol gave this account:
Trooper Aaron Bartlett attempted to stop a 1993 Ford Ranger pickup at about 10 p.m. Monday night for investigation of a traffic violation on state Highway 3 in Kitsap County near the Mason County line about five miles north of Belfair.
The trooper learned through checking information on the truck’s plates that the truck had been reported as a stolen vehicle earlier in the day.
The driver did not pull over and turned down several dirt roads before crashing through a locked gate and rolling the truck onto its side.
Both of the boys, who were reported Monday as runaways from Port Angeles, were taken to Harrison Medical Center, where they were treated and discharged and subsequently taken to the Kitsap County Juvenile Detention Center.
The 16-year-old driver suffered a back injury, and the 17-year-old passenger suffered knee and neck injuries.
Both were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, and neither drugs nor alcohol are considered factors in the crash or pursuit, State Patrol said.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
