Los Angeles police said they arrested a man early Sunday after he stole a police cruiser while an officer was still inside the vehicle.

Authorities said the man, who wasn’t identified, swiped the police SUV around 3:30 a.m. when he approached the female officer working security detail downtown.

Police said the man managed to commandeer the officer’s vehicle and sped off. The officer was ejected from the cruiser while it was still moving at one point during the car heist.

LAPD said the man crashed the vehicle a couple of blocks away before it finally came to a stop.

He tried to run from the crash, but police said officers quickly swarmed the scene and arrested the suspect.

The female officer was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.