OCEAN VIEW — A chase that started in Ocean City, Maryland, ended almost two hours later with officers shooting at a suspect driving a stolen vehicle toward them near Ocean View Saturday night.

Officers fired shots at the stolen vehicle before it came to a stop in a driveway in the 36000 block of Pine Grove Lane about 10:13 p.m., according to Delaware State Police spokesman Cpl. Gary Fournier. The chase began just after 8 p.m. in Ocean City when a sheriff’s deputy sought to stop him for driving erratically.

The suspect was driving a third car in the pursuit after eluding police in communities west of Ocean City.

An Ocean View Police officer became involved in the pursuit of the vehicle to assist a Worcester County, Maryland, Sheriff’s Office deputy, Cpl. Fournier said.

The officer and deputies were pursuing an Infinity SUV as it drove down Burbage Road and crossed over Windmill Drive onto Pine Grove Lane, which is a dead end road, Cpl. Fournier said. The driver of the SUV then came to a stop at the end of the road and allegedly accelerated backward at a high speed directly into the front of the fully marked Ocean View officer’s patrol vehicle, pushing it off the roadway.

The Infiniti continued backing at a high rate of speed, almost striking a fully marked Deputy Sheriff’s vehicle and smashed into a mailbox where it momentarily stopped, Cpl. Fournier said. The SUV then drove forward and entered into an empty residential lot where it turned around and began driving toward a sheriff deputy who was standing outside of his vehicle in the driveway of the lot.

The Ocean View officer was able to exit his patrol vehicle and run up to where the deputy was standing as the SUV accelerated toward the two law enforcement officers who were yelling commands to stop. Both the officer and the deputy fired multiple rounds at the Infiniti before the driver came to a stop in a private driveway in the 36000 block of Pine Grove Lane, Cpl. Fournier said.

The officer and deputies removed the suspect, who is described as a 31-year-old Hurlock, Maryland man, from the SUV and rendered first aid until the arrival of EMS. The suspect was then transported to an area hospital where he was admitted in serious condition, Cpl. Fournier said.

According to the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Deputy, a deputy observed a vehicle driving in an erratic manner in Ocean City, Maryland, in the area of 8th Street.

The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle but the driver fled, according to a news release.

The suspect then drove to the Berlin area where he crashed the vehicle he was driving. The suspect then allegedly stole a vehicle from that area and drove to Route 90 and abandoned it.

A police dog led officers to an area near Route 575 where the suspect allegedly located another vehicle and fled. That vehicle was abandoned by the suspect on St. Martin’s Neck Road, in the area of Light House Sound.

The police dog led police to a nearby neighborhood where the suspect allegedly burglarized a home and stole the occupant’s vehicle, according to the Worcester sheriff’s news release.

As deputies were approaching the neighborhood, they spotted the suspect in a black SUV and attempted to stop him. The suspect then fled from deputies toward Delaware.

State police said his name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

The officer was also transported to an area hospital by EMS where he was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries he sustained in the collision.

The deputy was uninjured in the incident.