MIDVALE, Utah, Oct. 27, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A motorist who fled the patrol car next to him as he attempted to run a red light crashed in the ensuing chase early Friday morning, knocking down a light pole.
The incident began at 12:38 a.m. as the Unified Police officer and his eventual quarry sat next to each other waiting on the traffic light at 7200 S. State Street. “I observed (the suspect) creep his car forward into the intersection before our light turned green,” the officer wrote in charging documents for Jin-Won Min, 19.
“I pulled behind the car and initiated my overhead lights, signaling the driver to stop. However, he did not stop. I then initiated my sirens at which point the vehicle accelerated at a high rate of speed.”
The short chase ended when Min’s vehicle failed to negotiate a turn attempting to merge northbound on to Interstate 15 at the 72nd South exchange, knocking over a light pole and disabling his vehicle, reads his probable cause affidavit.
“Because of the position of the car because of the crash, all occupants tumbled out the front passenger door. As (Min) came out a black pistol with what appeared to be a suppressor and extended magazine fell out of the car with him.”
Marijuana was located in the car and on his person, according to the document. “Post Miranda Min admitted he was the driver and he fled from me because he had the firearm in his possession.”
Min was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on charges of running a stop light, evading and driving without insurance. The gun and marijuana charges would likely be filed federally, the officer wrote, as they marked Min’s second arrest for the same charges in three months.
