A 17-year-old boy was arrested in Limassol on suspicion of burglary, driving a stolen car, and possession of drugs, but not before driving the stolen car into a house, the police said on Thursday.

The car the boy was driving was reported stolen on Tuesday, and was spotted by a police officer when it ran a red light on Wednesday morning.

At that point, the police said, it was “not possible” to stop the car.

However, it was later seen again, and when the officer at the scene signalled the driver to stop, the car accelerated and attempted to escape.

The police said the driver “committed a series of traffic violations”, before colliding with a car heading in the opposite direction and then coming to a halt after crashing into a house.

The driver then got out of the vehicle and attempted to escape on foot, but was tackled by the police and arrested.

After he was taken to a nearby police station, he was then re-arrested in connection with a burglary which had been committed on September 28.

During a search of the boy’s person, a bag containing about 12 grams of dry cannabis, as well as what the police described as a “glass smoking utensil” – a bong – which contained “traces of a burnt substance resembling methamphetamine”.

He was later subjected to a preliminary drug test, which returned a positive result.

The police’s investigation into the matter is ongoing.