Car slams into Tampa house

TAMPA - A man has been arrested on a string of charges after police say he crashed a car into a home in the Riverside Heights area after fleeing from officers early this morning.

According to Tampa police, a special task force specializing in stolen cars noticed the car driving erratically in the area of Columbus Drive and Ridgewood Avenue around 3 a.m. Officers boxed the car in, police said, and the driver tapped the cruiser with his car in an effort to get away.

The car then plowed into a house in the 2500 block of Ridgewood Avenue.

"About 2:30 in the morning my wife and I were asleep. Loud bang, the house shook." said homeowner Steve Saunders. "I came to find a Buick in my front yard."

Saunders said his wife and two children were not hurt. He said the front porch was destroyed, but the structure of the house appears to be in tact.

Albert Thompson, 28, was arrested on several charges including fleeing to elude, battery on a law enforcement officer, leaving the scene of the crash and reckless driving, jail records show. He's being held on 25,500 bond.