WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Feb. 4, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A driver made things significantly worse for himself Sunday night, when he refused to pull over for a traffic stop and led police on a brief chase that ended when he crashed the vehicle into a power pole.
Lt. Amy Maurer, West Valley City Police Department, said police were patrolling the area near 3300 West and Parkway Boulevard when an officer saw the vehicle and ran the information on it to see if it had valid registration.
It turned out to be uninsured.
The officer attempted to make a traffic stop, but the vehicle kept going.
“The officer initiated a pursuit for a short distance along westbound Parkway Boulevard,” Maurer said.
At 3600 West, the fleeing driver tried to turn north, but failed to negotiate the turn and hit a power pole. He then got out of the car and ran.
Maurer said a containment perimeter was established and officers conducted an extensive search. Police canines were brought in to assist.
Because the area is highly populated and has a great deal of foot traffic, it was virtually impossible to track the suspect. Maurer said officers were stopping people going in and out of the area, but were unable to determine if anyone was the person they were looking for.
There’s a twist to the story, though.
The driver who fled doesn’t own the car, but it wasn’t stolen, either.
When the registered owner of the vehicle showed up, police learned that the driver is a family member. Officers now have his name and know where to find him.
As for the power pole, Lt. Maurer said it had no significant damage, and there was no power outage as a result of the crash. She said the appropriate officials would be checking to make sure the integrity of the pole wasn’t compromised.
The driver will be facing a charge of fleeing “and whatever else we find,” Maurer said.
