The chase lasted one block before the driver crashed into a drainage ditch off Shadowdale near Laurenhurst around 1:45 a.m. Tuesday.
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The driver is on the run.
One passenger cut her knee in the crash. She had to be taken out of the drainage ditch on a fire department ladder.
Police say the passengers told officers they were afraid they would be busted for quarantine violations overnight.
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"They told me they didn't want to stop because of the COVID. They thought they were going to jail for a quarantine violation," said HPD Sgt. Kraig Buchanan.
It's not clear yet if the passengers will be charged, but they were taken into custody.
Police say they've had a rash of car burglaries in the area, and the vehicle they were in was just stolen on Monday.