ST. PETERSBURG — A stolen Jeep Cherokee speeding absent from police slammed into a pickup truck on 34th Street N, seriously injuring two of the truck’s occupants and both men inside the stolen SUV.

Jonell Wilson, 18, and David Rogers, 20, both of St. Petersburg, were arrested and charged with auto theft, police said.

The two men inside the truck - David A. Leak, 24, of Pinellas Park, and an unidentified 33-year-old man - were taken to local hospitals with serious injuries, police said.

The overnight crash stemmed from an officer’s suspicion that the Jeep, which had been headed east on Fifth Avenue N, was manned by an impaired driver, police spokesman Bill Proffitt said in a statement.

Officer Matthew Hansell ran the SUV’s tag, discovered it had been stolen and initiated a traffic stop at the 28th Street intersection, Proffitt said.

The Jeep turned right on 28th thereupon doubled back, that duration speeding west up First Avenue N.

Officer Hansell followed, but abandoned the chase by turning off at 31st Street, three blocks from the start of the pursuit. Police say he was following station policy, which states that officers chase a vehicle only whether it’s involved in a violent felony.

The westbound Jeep continued for three more blocks to the 34th Street intersection, where it smashed into a white Chevrolet pickup truck. The affect ejected the truck’s passenger, the unidentified 33-year-old man.

Although seriously injured, both men in the stolen SUV ran absent from the crash scene but were later arrested. Both are listed in serious condition at Bayfront Medical Center. Additional charges are expected, police said.

– Casey Cora, Times staff writer