Carjacking leads to chase through St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG (FOX 13) - Officers in St. Pete say an armed carjacking led to a police chase that almost headed the wrong way on Interstate 275 this afternoon.

It was around 1 p.m. when a man reported being carjacked at gunpoint by a group of male teenagers near the intersection of 39th Avenue S and 8th Street.  Officers soon spotted the rented white Ford Fusion and tried to pull it over, but the vehicle sped off.

Police say the subsequent chase lasted "several minutes" and continued even after the car's tires were blewn out by spike strips.

At one point, the car tried to enter I-275's southbound lanes at 26th Avenue S headed the wrong way.  Police said the vehicle -- driving on its rims at that point -- crashed into some bushes next to the ramp after being blocked by a cruiser.

Two suspects tried to flee on foot, but they were caught -- one of them suffering a K-9 bite in the process. Officers are still looking for two other suspects.