A city police pursuit involving this Mercedes-Benz on Thursday morning ended here in the T.J.Maxx Plaza in Loyalsock Township. The driver, wanted by county probation, was taken into custody and his SUV was impounded, police said.PHILIP HOLMES/Sun-Gazette

A brief high-speed pursuit Thursday morning that began in the city’s East End in the 700 block of Washington Boulevard ended in the T.J. Maxx Plaza, where the driver, a fugitive wanted by the county’s probation office, was taken into custody at gunpoint, according to Williamsport police.

It all started when the fugitive, driving a Mercedes-Benz SUV, fled from officers. He traveled east on the boulevard and into very heavy traffic along East Third Street before pulling into the plaza and stopping in front of the Armed Forces Recruiting Center in Loyalsock Township about 10:30 a..m.

A Williamsport man bringing his elderly parents to one one of the businesses in the plaza in the 1700 block of East Third Street saw all the drama as it unfolded.

“There was a lot of shouting” and the officers had their guns drawn, the witness said. A store employee came outside and told the witness, as a precaution, to stay in his car and drive his parents to the back of the store, where they would be allowed inside.

The fugitive, a city resident who is in his late 40s, surrendered without incident and was turned over to probation officers, who were expected to automatically place him in the Lycoming County Prison on a probation violation. His identity was not released.

City police said the driver will face charges stemming from the pursuit in the coming days. His identity will then be released.