The man was trying to exit a parking garage and told a security officer that he did not have any money to pay for a parking ticket, police said.
As the security officer stepped in front of the Cadillac SUV to manually lift the gate, police said the man drove through the gate. The security officer managed to escape being struck and had minor injuries.
Police said the man then drove his SUV down State Street where he set it on fire and fled on foot.
The man was taken into custody on the CTA Red Line platform and transported to a hospital for an evaluation, police said.