5 arrested in Medford after police chase ends in crash

medford police arrested five people who were accused of shoplifting thursday after police chased a stolen vehicle that ultimately crashed into a fence, officials said.

At about 11 a.m., an employee at Dick’s sporting goods at 3850 mystic Valley parkway called 911 and reported an incident of shoplifting, the medford police Department said in a statement.

the employee said the alleged shoplifters fled in a vehicle headed toward Riverside Avenue, and they provided the license plate number of the vehicle to officers, according to the statement. police found that the vehicle had been reported stolen from belmont earlier in the day, authorities said.

officers saw the vehicle on Riverside Avenue and tried stopping the vehicle with flashing lights and sirens, but the driver refused to stop, police said.

the vehicle continued onto commercial street at high speed and then onto Route 16 westbound to Winthrop street and then to High street before crashing into the fence of an Alto Drive home, police said.

two suspects in the vehicle were taken into custody, while three others fled, according to the statement. officers arrested one more person a short time later and then found the other two suspects hiding nearby, police said.

All five of those arrested, whose identities were not released, are facing pending charges, police said, though they did not detail the offenses they will be charged with.

no officers or suspects were injured during the incident, the statement said.

the incident remains under investigation.