Police arrested a man in possession of narcotics Tuesday afternoon on Font Boulevard after he lost control of a stolen car and stalled on a curb, said Sgt. Bohanan of the San Francisco Police Department.

The arrest, made shortly after 5:20 p.m., blocked traffic and caused delays on Font Street as students gathered to watch the police activity.

The suspect, who was described by police as an ex-parolee with a history of illegal activities, was taken to the Taraval police station shortly after his curbside arrest.

“This guy was erratically driving a stolen car,” Bohanan said. “He was under the influence of alcohol and was carrying lots of narcotics: meth, mushrooms, Ecstasy, and plenty of smoking paraphernalia.”

The incident started when officers driving a police cruiser on Lake Merced Drive noticed a car with expired tags, Bohanan said.

After the police cruiser pulled up behind the vehicle, the driver ran a red light on the corner of Font Boulevard and Lake Merced Drive.

This prompted the police to turn on their sirens and give chase.

As the driver barreled up Font Boulevard at speeds near 60 mph, he lost control as he took a turn, spinning around and popping up on a curb, Bohanan said.

Police immediately drew guns and advanced toward the suspect, Bohanan said.

“Once the car was immobilized on the curb, I think he knew the game was up and started to submit to police,” Bohanan said.

After taking the man out of the car, handcuffing him and placing him in the back of a police cruiser, officers started searching through the stolen car - finding empty bottles of alcohol, drugs and a pistol, Bohanan said.

The car, a 1990 Nissan 300ZX, was stolen from the Portola district on Saturday evening, said Ryan Balunsat, owner of the car who arrived at the scene shortly after the arrest.

The police activity brought out onlookers who heard the sounds of the chase.

Eric Laue, a junior at SF State was playing basketball on the nearby courts with friends when he heard all the commotion.

“I heard police sirens, then skidding and a crashing sound,” Laue said. “Our game was interrupted, but it was exciting; it was a good interruption.”

Other students, who were mingling outside of the dorms, were equally captivated about the short police chase.

“You don’t see something like this every day,” Casey Friedman, a freshman standing outside the dorms, said. “I first heard it, then I walked over and saw a man getting out of a car with his hands behind his head.”

“Don’t mess with the SFPD,” she added. “They’re good.”