MATTAWA — Three juveniles were arrested Saturday for stealing a car in Mattawa at around 6:30 a.m. followed by a short police pursuit near Ephrata. 

“We want to remind people to do basic vehicle security by locking their doors, taking their keys with them, removing any valuables from the vehicle and parking in a well-lit location,” Grant County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Kyle Foreman said.  

The sheriff’s office received a report of a stolen black Ford Fusion in the 100 block of Second Street in Mattawa, according to a GCSO statement. A couple of hours after the report, an Ephrata Police Department officer reportedly pulled over a black Ford Fusion matching the description, and the vehicle took off after the officer got out of his car. 

The driver started traveling south on Dodson Road Northwest from state Route 282, according to the statement. Because of heavy fog, the officer called off the pursuit; a GCSO deputy set out spike strips at Road 10.8 and Dodson Road Northwest. The spike strips flattened the driver’s-side tires on the car, but the driver kept going.  

Deputies later found the vehicle crashed in a ditch at Dodson Road Northwest and Road 4 Northwest. Three people were seen running west from the car. Officers found the boys, ages 14, 14 and 16, in an empty irrigation canal under Dodson Road. The boys were taken into custody.  

The officers found the three juveniles with a .22-caliber revolver, a stolen .22-caliber rifle and a small amount of drugs, the GCSO statementsaid.  

The three were booked into Chelan County Juvenile Center for investigation of possession of stolen vehicle, possession of a stolen firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and attempting to elude police. The GCSO and EPD received assistance from the Multi-Agency Communications Center.