A Tulsa man says he deliberately crashed into the parking lot gate at the Tulsa Police Department's Riverside Division just south of 71st Street about 5:30 Sunday morning.

Tulsa Police Captain Brett Bailey tells KRMG, “He had just recovered the car, which was a friend of his that had been stolen previously. So, he was trying to recover the car and they were chasing him.”

The driver, 27-year-old Matthew White, told police he found his friend’s stolen red Ford truck and jumped behind the wheel.

White told the officers on the scene the thieves had a gun.

Capt. Bailey says, “He did crash through the gate on purpose to get away from the guys that were supposedly chasing him."

Bailey says the truck did have a tag that didn’t belong to the vehicle.

The driver was taken into custody while they verify his story.

“He was arrested and charged on several traffic violations related to the crash.”

White was arrested for Suspended or Revoked Driver's License, Improper Tag Light Violation and Malicious Injury to City Property.

He was being held on $429 bond.

White's address is listed as homeless.

The woman in the passenger seat wasn’t arrested.

Repairs to the gate are estimated at $3,000.