SALEM Teen held in car theft after chase

The teen also is suspected of breaking into a car belonging to a federal agent.
By NORMAN LEIGH
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
SALEM -- A 15-year-old Youngstown-area boy has been arrested as a suspect in the theft of a car that crashed while fleeing police.
The Ohio State Highway Patrol Lisbon Post notified city police about 2 a.m. today that they were chasing a stolen car that had been taken Wednesday from Austintown.
The identity of the car's owner wasn't available this morning.
The chase was undertaken when a state trooper attempted to stop the car for speeding on the state Route 45 bypass in Perry Township.
The car crashed in Salem near the intersection of South Howard Avenue and West Wilson Street on the city's south side.
A search was mounted when authorities investigating the crash site did not find the driver there.
What was found: Inside the vehicle, they found a bulletproof vest belonging to an agent of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. The vest had been stolen from the agent's car while it was parked outside his Austintown residence. It's unclear from police reports here when that theft occurred.
About 150 yards from the crash site in Salem, city police found the boy hiding in a car in the 300 block of West Wilson Street.
The boy was arrested and the car searched. Authorities found a loaded .22-caliber handgun and a switchblade knife. It's unclear who owns the items.
The boy was treated at Salem Community Hospital for face and chest injuries. He was then taken to the Columbiana County juvenile center, where he is being held.
Charges against the boy are pending, a state patrol spokesman said.