A Belleville man driving a car reported stolen elsewhere was arrested early Friday morning after fleeing a traffic stop in Columbia.

About 3 a.m., a Columbia police officer attempted to stop a purple 2013 Ford Fusion with Illinois plates in the area of McDonald’s off Veterans Parkway after it returned stolen out of Fairview Heights earlier in the week, police said.

The driver refused to pull over for the officer, traveling north on Route 3 and exiting onto Palmer Road. Two other Columbia officers and a Monroe County Sheriff’s Department deputy quickly converged on the area of Palmer Road at Ghent Road, where a felony traffic stop was made.

The driver of the stolen car, Christopher M. Delano, 38, of Belleville, was arrested for possession of a stolen vehicle, aggravated fleeing/eluding police, no valid license and disobeying a traffic control signal.

“We probably prevented some other crime from occurring in this area,” Columbia Police Chief Jerry Paul said.