A high-speed chase through downtown Shanghai yesterday left four police officers and two civilians injured before ending in a fiery crash 20 minutes after it began.

Local residents watch the burned Audi sedan, on May 24, 2006. [Xinhua]

The driver under pursuit was pulled unhurt from his burning vehicle and taken in for questioning.

"It was like a scene from a Hollywood movie happening on our streets," said a witness surnamed Zhang. "A car chase, a crash and finally a blast."

Doctors were treating the injured last night at Changzheng Hospital.

One of the officers suffered head wounds and was in serious condition. Two of the others were being treated for broken bones, and the fourth suffered muscle injuries.

The two private citizens were in stable condition with bone fractures.

The chase, which played out across Jing'an and Huangpu districts over some of the downtown's busiest streets, began at 12:40pm.

An Audi sedan took off after a Jing'an District police officer tried to stop the driver, who was talking on his cell phone while operating the vehicle, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau said.

Witnesses said the vehicle knocked down the officer and sped from the scene. Other patrolmen took up the chase, and as the Audi sped through intersection after intersection, three motorcycle officers were knocked off their bikes.

The car also reportedly hit a pedestrian when it roared across busy Xizang Road.

"I saw this crazy Audi suddenly turn around and drive in the opposing traffic lane," said witness Wei Liang. "When it was intercepted by the police cars, it turned around again and finally crashed into a cargo van."

The Audi went up in flames immediately after the collision, and the driver was pulled out by traffic police.

Firefighters had the blaze under control in a half hour.

Several pedestrians and vehicles were hit during the chase, police said, without disclosing the number. Nor was it clear how the second civilian was injured.

Police also did not reveal the identity of the driver. They said only that he was from northeast China.

A local TV report said the driver was a 33-year-old man who worked for a city company and that police suspected the Audi had been smuggled into the country and its plate was counterfeit. That report could not be confirmed last night.