A man driving a stolen van led authorities on a chase through town Friday morning, refusing to stop until his tires were almost shredded, Redmond Police said.

It began about 8:45 a.m., when a Knife River Construction employee working on a street project near SW Canal Boulevard and SW 25th Street in Redmond called police to report that a man, later identified as David Giovanini, 53, of Redmond, had driven away in a white minivan, police said in a news release. Police spoke to the van’s owner and realized it had been stolen.

About 45 minutes later, another caller reported seeing the van run a stop sign at SW Wickiup Avenue and SW Helmholtz Way.

Police and Deschutes County Sheriff’s deputies found the van about 10 a.m. back on SW Canal Boulevard and attempted to pull it over, but Giovanini sped away, police said.

He began driving over 50 mph in a residential neighborhood, so police abandoned the traffic stop, police said.

A few minutes later, an officer saw the vehicle going through a McDonald’s drive-thru. An officer set up spike strips, and Giovanini drove over them, weaved his way through several police vehicles and hit one before driving off, according to police.

Officers chased him on U.S. Highway 97, where they saw Giovanini allegedly make several U-turns while at least one tire was deflating. They again used spike strips and abandoned the chase because of his reckless driving, police said.

They next found Giovanini back on SW Canal Boulevard, nearly driving on the van’s steel wheels because all four tires were tearing apart. Officers followed him until the van stopped functioning on SW Timber Avenue near SW 21st Street.

Giovanini initially refused to get out of the car, police reported, and he tried to get back in the driver’s seat after eventually emerging. A police dog named Maverick bit him as he tried to get back in the van, and officers arrested him.

Giovanini was taken to St. Charles Redmond for treatment and released into the hospital’s custody. He faces charges of vehicle theft, reckless driving, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, interfering with a peace officer and attempting to elude police officers.

— Reporter: 541-633-2160; jshumway@bendbulletin.com