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It happened early on Wednesday, March 15, when Westtown-East Goshen Regional police were called to DML Automotive at 1001 Wilmington Pike at about 7:20 a.m., the department wrote in a release.
There, police were told that a suspect had just fled the property with a catalytic converter, authorities said. One officer spotted a man and vehicle matching the suspect description and gave chase when the driver refused to pull over, they continued.
The pursuit ended on the 1600 block of Wilmington Pike in Chadds Ford, over the Delaware County line, after the officer was able to glean "further investigative information" about the suspect's car, the department said.
But only minutes after the suspect slipped away, police say he struck two uninvolved cars. He fled the scene of that accident and went on to crash again at the intersection of Route 202 and Route 1, authorities wrote.
That's when investigators say the man fled on foot. He was taken into custody a short time later, police said. No injuries were reported in the accidents.
Jesse J. Hawkins, a 31-year-old Wilmington, Delaware resident, is charged with theft, eluding police, receiving stolen property, driving under the influence, and related offenses, according to Westtown-East Goshen police.
At his arraignment on Wednesday, Magisterial District Judge Martin Goch set Hawkins' bail at 10 percent of $75,000. He remains in custody at the Chester County lockup ahead of his scheduled preliminary hearing on March 29, state court filings show.
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