An apparently drunk man driving a stolen car and being chased by a State Patrol officer careened down Exit 39 near the Three Rivers Mall Saturday, slamming into a Kelso Police Department SUV that was trying to keep other traffic out of the way, according to officials.

The driver, who name was not immediately released, complained of back pain and was taken to St. John Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt. He was being interviewed late Saturday afternoon but his intoxication was hampering the investigation, said Sgt. Glen Hobbs of the state patrol. The Kelso officer’s arm was injured.

The Exit 39 on and off ramps to the southbound Interstate 5 are expected to remain closed for several hours as the scene was cleared. Allen Street also is closed from Three Rivers Drive to the northbound ramps to I-5, though those ramps are open.

“This could have been much worse,” Hobbs said of the crash, noting that numerous vehicles could have been hit either on the interstate or the off ramp.

The Ford Escort was reported stolen out of Ritzville, Wash., and was spotted by a patrolman with a radar gun near exit 46 of I-5, Hobbs said. The patrolman tried to pull the car over as it headed south but it accelerated, doing 82 mph in a 70 mph zone.

The driver did leave the highway at exit 42 but then immediately re-entered the interstate, Hobbs said. He also tried to take exit 40 but was going too fast and veered back onto the freeway, Hobbs said.

At about 2:30 p.m., the driver took exit 39, near the mall, but was going so fast the highway patrolman pulled back, Hobbs said. The car came down the ramp, lost control in the ditch next to the road and hit the Kelso SUV before rolling and spinning around.

The vehicles landed several yards apart and crime scene teams were forensically mapping the site to better determine how the vehicles moved after impact.

The Escort’s back window broke out and the roof was crushed and sloping as crews photographed the scene. The Kelso SUV had a large dent in its side. A one-way sign with its cement base was dragged out of the ground and was on the road near the car.

The Kelso police vehicle was on Allen Street and was trying to get under the overpass to block traffic from heading west on Allen and into the line of the car. Instead the car hit the SUV before it could get through the overpass.

The driver will be charged with felony eluding and possession of stolen property and likely also will face charges of vehicular assault or driving under the influence, Hobbs said.

The state patrol is asking anyone who witnessed either the chase or the crash to call the Kelso office at (360) 578-4147.