Two men were taken to hospital after their car crashed early Friday morning in Vancouver as the pair tried to flee from a New Westminster police officer who'd earlier pulled them over for speeding.

The incident started at about 2:30 a.m. when a New West patrol officer noticed a black Acura doing about 80 kilometres per hour in a 50 kilometre per hour zone on Stewardson Way at 12th Street in New Westminster.

The officer caught up to the vehicle on Marine Way at Byrne Road in Burnaby and activated his emergency lights.

"As the officer exited his patrol car to walk up to the suspect vehicle, the vehicle sped away," said New Westminster Police Det. Terry Wilson.

"The officer initiated a short pursuit, but terminated it a couple minutes later because of the high speeds."

Wilson said the officer gave up the chase when speeds exceeded 100 kilometres per hour, pulling his patrol car to the side of the road just east of Boundary Road.

It's believed the suspect vehicle continued at a high rate of speed along Marine Way into Vancouver where the driver lost control of the car just west of Boundary Road. The car rolled and came to rest on its roof, leaving a debris field a couple blocks long.

Two men in their 20s were taken to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. One man suffered head injuries in the crash, while the other is said of have received only minor injuries.

Marine Way remained closed much of Friday morning while Vancouver Police investigated the accident. New Westminster police is continuing to look at why the driver chose to flee from a speeding ticket.

dweir@blackpress.ca