Officers said they spotted the 2003 Ford van, which had been reported stolen to the Concord Police Department on Dec. 18, around 10 a.m. today near of Contra Costa Boulevard and Woodsworth Lane.
Police said the driver, identified as 28-year-old Jared Powell, fled when he saw marked patrol cars approaching.
While fleeing from police, Powell crashed into a vehicle that was stopped at a red light and tried to ram a patrol car, police said.
He then drove north in the southbound lanes of state Highway 242 at Grant Street, and officers called off the chase, police said.
Police found the van abandoned a short time later at the intersection of Erie Drive and Esperanza Drive.
Officers searched the area but did not find the suspect.
Police say there is probable cause to arrest Powell on suspicion of vehicle theft, assault with a deadly weapon and felony evasion.
Anyone with information about Powell or his whereabouts is asked to call the Pleasant Hill Police Department at (925) 288-4630.
