A young Halifax man who led police on a high-speed chase through the city in October 2007 was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison.

Jason Kyle DeYoung, 21, of no fixed address, faced 13 charges, including three counts of assault with a weapon — a car — dangerous driving, possession of a stolen vehicle and flight from police.

Halifax provincial court heard that the incident began the day before the chase when DeYoung attempted to steal a pint of rum from a Nova Scotia Liquor Store in north-end Halifax.

When employees tried to stop him, he used bear spray before making his getaway in a stolen Honda Civic.

The very next day, store clerks spotted the Honda back in the parking lot. They called police, and undercover officers blocked in the driveway.

The court heard that DeYoung then used the car to try to ram the police officers, who drew their guns first to shoot at the hood of the car, and then at DeYoung, in an attempt to stop him.

DeYoung rammed the unmarked police car out of his path and sped away.

Up to 18 police cars pursued the stolen Honda at speeds up to 140 km/h through busy streets on both sides of Halifax Harbour. Police stopped lanes of traffic, the court heard, but DeYoung rammed his way through, forcing one officer to jump on the hood of a nearby car to keep from being run down.

The episode came to an end 25 minutes later when the stolen Honda suddenly stopped in front of the Dartmouth Sportsplex. DeYoung, who had been hit by a police bullet in his left knee, was removed from the car and taken to hospital.

As Judge Michael Sherar passed sentence, he said society must be protected from DeYoung, who needs to try to rehabilitate himself.

DeYoung had a previous history of leading police on high-speed chases. In August 2005, he was sentenced to two years in prison for a pair of chases in Dartmouth the previous month. He also received two years probation and was banned from driving for three years.