A driver who fled from South Bend Police led officers on a chase across three counties early Tuesday before he was finally arrested in Hamlet.

The pursuit began just after 2:30 a.m. when the driver of a purple Dodge Caravan was stopped for a routine traffic violation at Main Street and Donmoyer Avenue.

City 911 dispatch said during the stop the driver took off, heading south past Ireland Road and the St. Joseph Valley Parkway and onto U.S. 31 at speeds up to about 80 mph.

South Bend officers stopped pursuing the vehicle at the Marshall County line and notified other agencies that the driver was headed south.

That's when a Plymouth officer spotted a vehicle matching the description on Hoham Drive, west of Michigan Street, and tried to initiate a traffic stop.

The driver fled, turning south on Oak Road, through the Wal-Mart parking lot and then west on U.S. 30 before being stopped when stopsticks were used near Hamlet at U.S. 30 and U.S. 35 by Starke County Police.

The driver ran from the vehicle and was apprehended by officers, according to a news release.

The 26-year-old driver, of South Bend, is being held in the Marshall County Jail on suspicion of several charges, including operating while intoxicated.