A high speed chase that started in the City ended just east of Strathmore Monday with the driver of the SUV being chased in hospital.

It started shortly before 3 o'clock at the Max Bell Arena in Calgary where City Police were moving in on a man in a suspected stolen vehicle.

He took off before cops could nab him leading police on a chase east of the city on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Strathmore Mounties tried to stop him, but the driver eluded them.

Gleichen RCMP then laid out a spike belt, but as the man tried to avoid it he rolled into the ditch instead and was thrown from the vehicle.

He was taken to Strathmore Hospital and then to Foothills Hospital by STARS Air Ambulance with potentially life threatening head injuries.

Both City Police and the Mounties are investigating and charges are pending.