OGDEN, Utah, July 21, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A male suspect who fled from a traffic stop in Ogden on Monday is dead after police say he tried to speed away, dragging a police officer with his vehicle.
The fleeing suspect then drove erratically, careening into a parked Ogden City Police Department car, then struck the vehicle of a 59-year-old man who had pulled to the side of the roadway.
During the pursuit, the suspect suffered critical injuries, and he died at the scene, a news release from the department says.
Three police officers were transported to an area hospital, and the 59-year-old man whose car was struck was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
The incident began at 4:53 p.m., the OCPD statement says. It started when officers attempted to contact a driver of a passenger vehicle in the 2600 block of Monroe Boulevard. The police statement does not disclose the nature of the traffic violation for which the suspect was stopped.
“When officers asked the male to step out of the vehicle, he refused and sped away from the scene, dragging one officer from the area in the process,” the OCPD statement says. “A pursuit was initiated and the driver began to drive erratically, ejecting the officer from the vehicle in the 2800 block of Monroe Boulevard.”
The suspect continued onto Sullivan Road, where he lost control of the vehicle in the 800 block.
“The driver then struck an Ogden City Police Vehicle which was ahead of him and had pulled to the side of the road,” the police statement says. “After striking the police vehicle, the driver traveled across lanes, striking a second passenger car occupied by a 59-year-old male, which had been pulled over to the other side of the road.
“During the accident, the male subject fleeing from officers sustained critical injuries. Medical responded to the scene and began life-saving measures, however the driver succumbed to his injuries.”
The statement does not disclose the nature of the suspect’s fatal injuries.
Three officers “sustained non-life-threatening injuries during the incident and were transported to a local hospital” for treatment of their injuries, the statement says. “The 59-year-old male driver also sustained non-life-threatening injuries which were treated by medical personnel on scene.”
The OCPD would not clarify whether the deceased male suspect was an adult or a juvenile.
The statement says the Utah Highway Patrol will be investigating the incident, in keeping with officer-involved critical incident protocol, which requires that an uninvolved agency handle the investigation when a primary law enforcement agency is directly involved.
“No further information at this time,” the OCPD statement says.
