A Baltimore man who crashed his minivan Thursday evening after being chased by an off-duty Howard County police officer died over the weekend as a result of his injuries.

Robert Carlton Smith Jr., 30, of the 500 block of Mount St., smashed his Plymouth Voyager into two vehicles on Interstate 70 near Bethany Lane in Ellicott City, police said.

An off-duty police officer saw the van speeding and weaving in traffic on eastbound I-70 and attempted to pull the driver over, police said.

Following department policy, the officer abandoned the chase because of inclement weather and heavy traffic, police said.

The van continued on for about a mile before Smith lost control and crossed the median into oncoming traffic, police said.

No one else was seriously injured in the crash, police said.

Police said Smith had stolen DVDs from the Mount Airy Wal-Mart earlier in the day and was attempting to escape when the Howard County officer spotted him.

Smith was taken to the Maryland Shock Trauma Center, where he was listed in critical condition.

The accident closed the westbound lanes of I-70 and tied up traffic for nearly three hours, police said.