Four people arrested after Lubbock police chase in stolen vehicle ends in crash

Four people were arrested after a chase involving police officers ended in a crash early Sunday morning in downtown Lubbock. The pursuit began at about 1:40 a.m. Sunday morning after police spotted a stolen car in the 2200 block of Avenue V and attempted to make a traffic stop, according to a statement from Lubbock police. The driver of the car eluded officers, sparking a chase. During the initial course of the investigation, the car appeared to be traveling eastbound in the 1600 block of 32nd Street when it collided with an SUV driven by 21-year-old Azariah Hernandez, traveling northbound in the 3200 block, at 1:44 a.m. The car then collided with a fence at a nearby middle school. At the time of the crash, police say 17-year-old Makayla Mermella, along with two juveniles, attempted to flee on foot but were arrested. After the foot chase, a police dog was used to locate another underage female. A third juvenile remained at the scene and was also taken into custody. A juvenile passenger, one of the four people in the car, sustained minor injuries and was treated at the scene by emergency medical services. No one in the SUV was injured. Further details of the incident were not immediately released as the investigation is ongoing.