WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Feb. 8, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Four juveniles and one adult were arrested Thursday night after they fled from police in a stolen car and ended up in a traffic accident.
Unified Police Department Lt. Mike Schoenfeld, who heads up the Metro Gang Task Force, told Gephardt Daily officers noticed what appeared to be a stolen vehicle occupied by possible gang members at approximately 7:30 p.m..
“They ran the plate, verified that it was stolen,” Schoenfeld said. “The Department of Public Safety helicopter was up helping us, with our operation. The helicopter followed that car to an area where we believed we could successfully spike the car.”
The 17-year-old driver sped off, causing a traffic accident at the intersection of 3500 S. 3600 West.
All five occupants of the car, four juveniles and one adult, ran from the car; all five were subsequently captured. Three handguns were recovered from the vehicle while Gephardt Daily was on scene, and the search had yet to be completed.
The bust was the result of a west side anti-gang violence operation underway for the last two weeks in West Valley City, Magna and Kearns.
“At the direction of Sheriff and the Valley Chiefs as part of the task force they’ve asked us to get out here and focus on the west side of the valley where we’re having a lot of violence, some shootings, some drive-bys, and focus on our gang issue out here and that’s what we’re doing tonight,” Schoenfeld added. “We’re looking to stop the violence.”
Nobody was injured as a result of the incident, and the two vehicles involved in the crash sustained only minor damages.
The five are likely to be facing multiple felony charges, Schoenfeld said.
