Acting Inspector Andrew Keane said police had been attempting to intercept the man for several days when he was spotted by a patrol car on Lilydale Road about 3.15pm.

The man was driving a Holden Commodore ute  that was allegedly stolen from a building site at Newstead yesterday afternoon.

Acting Inspector Keane said the patrol car attempted to intercept the man, but he evaded them and headed into Launceston on Invermay Road.

He said the patrol car followed a distance behind the man and alerted police at the Launceston station, who laid spikes on Charles Street in an attempt to stop the man.

``Fortunately he was driving quite close to police headquarters so we were able to get some spikes up fairly quickly,'' he said.

Acting Inspector Keane said the man ran over the spikes, causing the tyres to deflate and him to lose control and crash into the CH Smith building on Charles Street.

He said the man then fled from the car, but was captured a short time later in the abandoned CH Smith building.

Police have blocked the street in front of Harvey Norman while the crash scene is investigated.

Acting Inspector Keane said the man was a suspect in a number of alleged offences in the North and North West in recent weeks, including car thefts, evading police and an alleged burglary in Cressy last night.

``We have had basically the entire CIB out looking for this person, as well as police from the uniform division and the North West, for about a week now,'' he said.

Read more in The Examiner tomorrow.