Residents of Ocean Springs, Mississippi, witnessed a wild police chase downtown on Friday, with a suspect’s car even ramming cop cars. What might have at first seemed the work of a mastermind turned out to be much more confusing.

Police received a tip midday on Friday that 34-year-old Jontavious Mason of Georgia had stolen his girlfriend’s car from the Studio 6 motel in Ocean Springs. Did he just think he was borrowing it? Was there a domestic dispute involved? It’s not clear. What is clear is his unsafe and violent actions next.

Mason didn’t skip town. Police officers spotted the car at a Take 5 Oil Change location down the street and attempted to corner it. Mason freaked out and rammed multiple patrol cars. Then he fled onto the highway.

Jontavious Mason does what no one expected

Either Mason escaped, or police called off the pursuit. So what did he do with his newfound freedom and wheels? Mason drove back to the Studio 6 motel and returned the car, both its front and rear bumpers smashed in. Then he took off on foot. He was, after all, still in trouble for ramming police cars.

Police report that Mason entered someone’s apartment. At least one person was home, and I’m sure they were terrified. Mason stole what has only been described as an “item” and fled again. Police finally caught up with Mason and arrested him. He’s been charged with two counts of aggravated assault on a police officer, one count of felony eluding from a police officer, and one count of burglary of an occupied dwelling.

What began as a story of misunderstanding or confusion ended poorly. The result was a dangerous police chase and a ton of damage to cruisers. The correct answer is never ramming the cop cars and making a break for it. You can see the chase yourself in the video embedded below: