CORTLAND - A 22-year-old man faces a long list of charges after ramming two police cars and trying to run over an officer during a chase through two counties late Monday, police said. A Cortland police officer fired four rounds at Eric Vandenburg when he tried to run the officer down and police had to use pepper spray to subdue Vandenburg when they finally cornered him, Cortland Police Chief James Nichols said Tuesday.

State troopers charged the Cortland resident with two felony counts of first-degree reckless endangerment and misdemeanor counts of unlawfully fleeing a police officer, resisting arrest and driving while intoxicated. Cortland police charged him with attempted aggravated assault on a officer and four counts of third-degree criminal mischief, all felonies, as well as multiple misdemeanors.

“Apparently, he didn't want to go to jail. He made some really bad choices,” said Cortland Police Lt. Paul Sandy.

The chase started when Homer police pulled Vandenburg over for a lighting violation and he sped off when the officer got out of his car just before 10 p.m.

Cortland County deputies spotted Vandenburg 20 minutes later on state Route 13, still in the Homer area.

A state trooper was parked on the shoulder of the highway with his overhead lights on when Vandenburg drove across the center line at about 80 mph hour and directly at the stopped patrol car, Nichols said.

The trooper was able to dodge Vandenburg's truck as it swerved back into the northbound lane, just narrowly avoiding a collision.

The pursuit continued into Onondaga County, where Vandenburg tried to ram another state police car near Tully, about 15 miles south of Syracuse.

By this time, an Onondaga County Sheriff's Department helicopter was tracking Vandenburg.

Vandenburg returned to Cortland County, and finally back to the city of Cortland, where he drove the wrong way down Main Street. City police were able to box him in at one intersection, but as officers emerged from their cars, Vandenburg rammed his truck into two police cars and then backed up directly at a Cortland officer. The officer fired four shots, none of which struck Vandenburg, as he drove off, Nichols said.

The two patrol cars were heavily damaged, Sandy said.

“We had some very close calls out there. We're just thankful no one was injured,” he said.

With the chase on again, Vandenburg drove off the highway onto fields and access roads. At one point, he abandoned his truck and drove off in a second vehicle parked in the woods. He was caught a short time later after turning onto a wooded lot. Vandenburg put up a brief struggle, Nichols said.

Police were continuing their investigation and more charges were possible, Nichols said. Vandenburg was being held in the city jail pending arraignment later Tuesday.