A 28-year-old Baltimore County woman, whose car was stolen recently, spotted five youths trying to steal a car in Stevenson yesterday and decided to stop them.

It worked, sort of. The youths reportedly rammed her car with a stolen automobile, then led police on a chase down Park Heights Avenue, crashing into two cruisers and a private car before bailing out.

One of the suspects -- a 16-year-old West Baltimore youth -- was captured nearby and charged as a juvenile with three counts of assault with intent to murder, car theft and attempted car theft, said Sgt. Stephen R. Doarnberger, a Baltimore County police spokesman.

Police said the incident began about 11 a.m. when a woman driving in the 3400 block of Keyser Road, about a mile north of the Baltimore Beltway, saw five youths in a driveway trying to break into a 1993 Mitsubishi sports car with a dent puller.

The woman, whose 1988 Nissan had been stolen recently and recovered, pulled behind the Mitsubishi, blocking the driveway, and began pounding her horn to attract attention. What she didn't know, police said, was that the youths had arrived at the scene in another stolen car, a black 1994 Lexus.

The woman called police when the youths drove off, and officers began searching for the Lexus. Speeding down Park Heights Avenue into Baltimore, the Lexus struck two police cars and another car before the youths got out and fled.