The child took the stolen car on a 161-mile journey, starting in Issaquah in Washington, USA and travelling through the Cascade Mountains.

He was spotted by police in Moses Lake – around a two-and-a-half hour drive from Issaquah – where they immediately began a pursuit.

The car was dramatically brought to a halt using a controversial “precision immobilisation technique”, The Seattle Times reports.

This potentially dangerous manoeuvre, common in the US, involves police driving into another vehicle in a way that makes the driver lose control and come to a stop.

The boy was subsequently taken into custody on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle and “felony eluding”.