MARTINEZ -- Two parolees were arrested in Martinez early Thursday after they allegedly stole a vehicle and then used it to ram a police patrol car as they fled, police said.

Shortly after 3 a.m., police received a call from residents in the area of Gilrix Drive and Morello Avenue reporting that two people wearing dark clothing were looking into cars.

An officer responding to the call spotted a car leaving the area. When he tried to pull the vehicle over, the driver accelerated, police said.

The officer chased the car onto a dead-end road, where the driver then turned the vehicle and rammed it into the patrol car, police said.

The two suspects then exited their vehicle and ran through backyards, with the officer chasing them on foot, police said.

The California Highway Patrol and the Pleasant Hill Police Department joined Martinez police in their search. A helicopter and a police dog were deployed.

After about an hour, officers located the suspects, identified by police as Solano County residents April Carruth, 35, and Christian Dorsch, 40.

They were arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, obstructing a peace officer and auto theft, police said.