TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, March 8, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Unified Police have a fugitive in custody after he crashed into a condo in Taylorsville on Thursday night.
The incident occurred near 1200 W. Atherton Drive (4400 South) at approximately 8 p.m., Lt. Bill Robertson, with the Unified Police Department, told Gephardt Daily.
Robertson said earlier Thursday, officers spotted the suspect vehicle and recognized the suspect, Charles Williams, as fleeing from West Valley City police last week.
“At that point, we got some more officers and some plainclothes detectives in the area,” Robertson said. “We started to follow the suspect; he is an Adult Probation and Parole fugitive. With his history of fleeing, we knew that we were going to try and attempt to have him park the car somewhere and take him into custody that way.”
In the area of 4700 South and Atherton Drive, Robertson said, officers deployed spikes and both front tires of the suspect vehicle were deflated.
“At that point, he began to drive recklessly, there was no pursuit, nobody was pursuing him, and he came round the corner here at Atherton and lost control of the vehicle, slid across some shrubs right here and into the building,” Robertson added. “He fled on foot to the west and at that point a quick containment was set up, and officers took him into custody approximately 100 yards to the west from where the vehicle hit the building.”
Williams was hiding under a vehicle, but a K-9 found him.
Robertson said the suspect was most likely going 60 or 70 miles per hour when he crashed.
Williams sustained some minor injuries, possibly a broken ankle, and will be put back into AP&P’s custody.
There was a female passenger in the car, and she was transported to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray with minor bumps and bruises. She is in good condition.
Some residents of the building were home at the time, but no one was hurt, because the garages are at the bottom of the building. A building inspector will be coming to the scene to make sure the building is safe for occupancy.
Robertson said the suspect has a drug distribution warrant as well as being a wanted AP&P parolee. He added that West Valley will have some new charges on him from felony fleeing last week, and from this incident he will be facing charges of speeding and driving recklessly.
No other vehicles were involved in the incident, Robertson said.
