| By Big Radio News Staff |

A Beloit man faces 17 felony charges after a string of high-speed chases in his mother’s car.

Michael Pozzani, 46, is accused of multiple counts each of operating a vehicle without owner consent, fleeing officers and recklessly endangering safety.

According to the criminal complaint, police initially wanted to speak to Pozzani about a theft. His mother told police she had loaned him her car but that he refused to give it back.

Officers spotted the car in and around the city of Beloit on multiple occasions in late October and early November.

Each time, police tried to initiate traffic stops before Pozzani fled at high rates of speed, forcing police to call off the chases out of concern for public safety. In one instance, he slammed into police cruisers trying to box him in before escaping.

Late on Nov. 4, police found Pozzani sleeping in the car in a Beloit hotel parking lot. Police were able to surround him again, though he still tried to escape and officers needed to use nonlethal munitions and pepper spray to take him into custody.

He was given a $10,000 cash bond in Rock County Court on Tuesday.