A Clanton man who led police on a brief chase Thursday morning is in jail facing multiple charges.

Mathew Niece, 31, contacted an undercover Clanton Police officer to allegedly purchase narcotics, Police Chief Brian Stilwell said.

At about 10 a.m., Niece reportedly purchased the drugs from the unnamed officer.

When officers went to arrest the suspect, he sped away in a vehicle, almost striking an officer, Stilwell said.

The chase began in the Winn-Dixie parking lot and continued up Yellowleaf Road.

The suspect then turned left onto Blacksnake Road and into the old Food Fair parking lot, where he was cornered and taken into custody.

The suspect struck a police car during the chase, Stilwell said.

“There was very minor damage to the car, and nobody was hurt,” Stilwell said.

Niece is charged with felony possession of a controlled substance, criminal solicitation to commit a controlled substance crime, reckless endangerment, and resisting arrest.

Clanton Police had arrested a man earlier Thursday morning for selling narcotics. That case led to the second arrest. The name of the first suspect has not been released.

The Chilton County Sheriff’s Department responded to assist in the chase, but the suspect was already in custody.