The mother of the man investigators say led them on a high speed chase says her son needs help, not prison time.

19-year-old Robert Mattson appeared via teleconference in an Eau Claire County courtroom Thursday morning. Half a state away, his mom says her son didn't mean to hurt anyone.

"He's not a bad kid. He doesn't have a bad heart. He has a lot of mental illnesses," Jade Arndt told us on the phone.

Investigators say Mattson walked out of Luther Middelfort Wednesday, saw a car with the keys left in it, took it and then hit the owner when he tried to stop him. Officers chased him for 20 miles down Highway 12 before a pit maneuver stopped him near Augusta.

"He probably didn't mean to steal the car. He probably saw it and that was his first thought. And then, of course, it was too late. He's a very regretful type of person. He just wanted out,” Arndt says.

“It rates up there with some of the, I guess you could say, scary moments," says Officer Blaire Robinson with the Altoona Police Department.

Robinson's squad car was hit twice during the chase that reached speeds of 85 miles per hour.

“Was it going to end safely with no one being hurt? Those thoughts are constantly going through the back of your mind," Robinson says.

His squad will cost $7,000 to repair. The man who owns the stolen car says his is totaled. Jonathan Sykes says he's not mad at Mattson; he just wants a usable car. Mattson's mom says she just hopes her son gets more than just time behind bars.

"All his life, I fought for what he did get. It's not about knowing he needs help. It's about there’s no money out there. I don't have any. You have to rely on the state,” Arndt says.

A judge set Mattson's bond at $10,000. He's charged with taking and driving a vehicle without consent, first degree recklessly endangering safety, fleeing an officer, and resisting or obstructing an officer.