HURRICANE, Utah, Nov. 1, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Hurricane shoplifting suspect police say threatened a store employee was found dead in a car crash after eluding pursuit.
Officers responded to a report of a theft in progress Wednesday night at the Lin’s grocery store at 1120 W State Street. While officers were en route “the suspect threatened the life of an employee,” the Hurricane Police Department said in a Thursday afternoon press release.
“The suspect left the store and a pursuit was initiated by police.”
The suspect fled east on State Street, police said, before continuing north through La Verkin and Toquerville.
“Officers lost sight of the suspect vehicle and when they located it again it had crashed.”
The suspect was ejected in the crash and was deceased, according to the release, which described what appeared to be an officer-involved critical incident protocol. The Utah Highway Patrol is handling the investigation of the crash “and because there is an ongoing investigation and there are still notifications of the death, the name of the suspect will not be released at this time.”
The department thanked the agencies assisting in the incident, including the Hurricane Valley Fire District, UHP, La Verkin Police Department, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Department of Transportation Incident Command, and the State Bureau of Investigation.
