A Turlock man hoping to avoid arrest by fleeing from police officers, ended up crashing his car and sparking a grass fire near Highway 99 on Sunday. And he still ended up in jail.

The suspect was identified as Edgar Madrigal, 20, of Turlock. He was booked into Stanislaus County Jail on charges of felony evading a police officer.

The incident began shortly before 1 a.m. Sunday when an officer at the intersection of Vermont Avenue and S. Orange Street spotted a black sedan driving at a high rate of speed on S. Orange Street.

The officer initiated a traffic stop, but the driver failed to stop and sped away, said Turlock Police spokesperson Sgt. Michael Parmley.

A pursuit ensued with Madrigal driving through stop signs, driving recklessly and reaching speeds in excess of 80 miles per hour.

The driver was westbound on South Avenue, when he lost control of the vehicle. It skidded off the road and struck the embankment of Highway 99, Parmley said.

The crash sparked a grass fire underneath the wrecked car and it wasn't long before the entire vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Madrigal was able to get out of the car and was taken into custody at the scene.

The Turlock Fire Department responded to the site and was able to quickly extinguish the flames and keep them from spreading further along the highway.