A 20-year-old man driving a stolen car led state police yesterday morning on a 23-mile chase through three counties that ended in Howard County when the car broke down after hitting a police cruiser.

Thomas Charles Langston, of no fixed address, was charged with a variety of offenses including assault and battery, theft and reckless driving.

He was being held last night at the Howard County Detention Center in lieu of $50,000 bond.

State police said the chase started in Mount Airy at about 10 a.m. when a trooper went to a query off Ridgeville Boulevard to investigate a suspicious person sitting in a 1983 Chrysler Cordova. Police said the car was reported stolen last month from Worcester County.

When the trooper drove near the vehicle, the driver sped off, heading north on Ridge Road, police said.

From there, police chased the car up Ridge Road, east on Liberty Road into Baltimore County, where the suspect drove around some roads and ended up back in Carroll County, heading south on Washington Road.

Seven additional state police cruisers and two Baltimore County police cars joined the chase, which reached speeds of 80 mph.

Police said the suspect headed east on Liberty Road again and drove around several roads in Baltimore County, then turned around and drove back into Carroll County.

The car's driver headed into Howard County on Marriottsville Road, where state police set up a rolling road block as the car neared Interstate 70.

State Police Sgt. Robert A. Jones, of the Waterloo Barracks, said the man intentionally rammed a police car driven by Sgt. Raymond Wojcik, of the Frederick Barracks, who suffered a neck injury. He was treated and released from Howard County General Hospital.

Sergeant Jones said the stolen Cordova broke down after the collision and rolled to a stop, ending the chase at 10:20 a.m. He said Mr. Langston tried to run away but was quickly apprehended. The man was treated at the scene for a wrist injury.