Three armed robbery suspects driving a stolen car eluded Howard County police after a short chase into Baltimore Wednesday evening.

The men had allegedly robbed a 30-year-old Columbia man at gunpoint, taking his wallet as he left the Columbia Mall at 6:55 p.m. The victim, who was not identified, wasn't injured, police said.

The suspects were last seen in a Honda Accord, which was spotted by a Howard detective in an unmarked car near Route 40 and Rogers Avenue in Ellicott City shortly after the robbery.

Howard officers in marked police cars joined the pursuit and attempted to stop the vehicle. The chase continued east on Route 40 into Baltimore County, where police from that jurisdiction assisted. The suspects escaped, driving recklessly in traffic, Howard police said.

A check of the vehicle's license number revealed that it had been stolen in Baltimore County earlier Wednesday, police said.

POLICE LOG

* Wilde Lake: 10500 block of Faulkner Ridge Circle: Compact discs and cassettes, valued at $100, were stolen from a black Suzuki Samurai on Tuesday.

1500 block of Dover Court: A mailbox, valued at $25, was destroyed Tuesday, police said.

11900 block of Little Patuxent Parkway: A $200 car telephone was stolen from a 1993 Jeep Ranger on Monday.