RIVERTON, Utah, March 18, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — A man who crashed a van in Riverton then carjacked one of the vehicles he hit was arrested Thursday, then taken to hospital instead of jail because he was suffering from chest pains, police said.
Det. Ken Hansen of the Unified Police Department said 54-year-old Rudy S. Christopher was driving eastbound on 12600 South at 1:40 p.m., and allegedly running red lights. In the area of 3200 West, he crashed the van, striking several cars.
Christopher then ran to one of the cars he hit and pushed the driver out of the way before fleeing eastbound on 12600 South in that vehicle, Hansen said.
The stolen truck and Christopher were located at 1740 W. 12600 South by an off-duty officer. Christopher had run into a tanning salon then tried to escape by exiting the back door.
Hansen said the suspect appeared to be on drugs at the time of the incident.
The stolen truck was returned to its owner undamaged, police said.
Hansen said on the way to the jail, Christopher complained of chest pains and was taken to a hospital.
Gephardt Daily will have an update on this developing story as information becomes available.
