SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 14, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Utah man has been sentenced to prison in connection with a December 2022 carjacking and police pursuit in Salt Lake City.
On Dec. 11, 2022, a woman had just entered her car near 7155 S. High Park Drive and was putting her purse down when police say a man grabbed her arm, pointed his gun at her, and forced her out of her vehicle, according to a news release from the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office.
The man, later identified as Ioelu Toafe, drove away in the car, but the woman’s phone was in the vehicle and police were able to track it, the release says.
Police attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle on Interstate 215 in Salt Lake County, but Toafe refused to stop and led law enforcement on a chase. The pursuit ended when officers disabled the vehicle using a PIT maneuver, police said.
On Jan. 8, 2024, a jury found Toafe guilty of first-degree felony aggravated robbery, second-degree felony obstruction of justice, and third-degree felony failure to stop at the command of police.
On Thursday, a 3rd District Court judge sentenced Toafe to five years to life for aggravated robbery; one to 15 years for obstruction of justice; and zero to five years for failure to stop at the command of police.
“[Toafe] not only threatened the life of the victim he robbed, but he also put at risk the safety of officers and other drivers when he fled from law enforcement,” District Attorney Sim Gill said. “This sentence reflects the danger this defendant caused in our community. We appreciate the court addressing the severity of the crimes when the judge gave the defendant a sentence that could leave him behind bars for a long time.”
