WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, March 7, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) —Â A wanted suspect led police on a pursuit in a stolen car Tuesday night, ramming a patrol car, then finally fleeing on foot and evading officials.
Sgt. Sean McCarthy from West Valley City told Gephardt Daily the suspect has been identified as Todd Pace, a longtime West Valley City resident.
The incident began just after 11:35 p.m., McCarthy said, when officers spotted Pace, a known wanted person, in a stolen car in the parking lot of the Embassy Suites hotel at 3524 S. Market Street (2885 West).
“As they were moving in to make an arrest, the suspect backed into the officer, striking his vehicle, and then fled the scene,” McCarthy said. “A vehicle pursuit ensued, traveled through West Valley City for several blocks. During the pursuit the vehicle was spiked by two different officers, deflating all four of its tires.”
The pursuit was terminated in the area of 4500 S. Redwood Road, but the suspect drove on.
“The suspect continued fleeing on his own and came down this dead-end road, then came to rest against this car,” McCarthy said.
The suspect then fled on foot from the area of 5926 S. Quail Circle (2200 West).
Police used helicopters and K-9 units to try to find Pace for approximately two and a half hours, assisted by personnel from the Unified Police Department.
McCarthy said Pace may have jumped over the sound wall to I-215 and onto the freeway before the Utah Highway Patrol was able to shut it down.
The suspect is wanted for serious drug charges out of Texas, McCarthy added, and has several felony warrants out for his arrest in Salt Lake County, as well as those that will be added as a result of the incident Tuesday night.
“Hopefully someone out there might know where we can find him,” McCarthy said. “If not, we’re going to keep looking.”
Pace is described as being Caucasian, in his early 30s, about 5 feet 10 inches tall, and around 180 to 200 pounds.
There was very minor damage to the patrol car and the car the suspect slid into in Quail Circle, and the officer was not hurt.
“It’s just very lucky, the way the guy was driving, that nobody was hurt, that’s the important thing, nobody was hurt,” McCarthy said. “When we terminated the pursuit, he ran a red light at about 70 miles per hour. He wasn’t traveling at a normal rate of speed.”
Anyone who has any information on the suspect is asked to call the WVCPD at 801-840-4000.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information becomes available.
