TAYLORSVILLE, Utah, Feb. 16, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Police arrested a 42-year-old man accused of crashing into another vehicle while fleeing law enforcement early Friday.
The incident began about 1 a.m. when the U.S. Marshals Service attempted a traffic stop for a parole fugitive near 6000 South and 1300 West.
The driver, Chad Taft, continued to flee from law enforcement, who used a spike strip to disable at least one of his vehicle’s tires, Taylorsville Police Lt. Aaron Cheshire told Gephardt Daily.
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter was able to follow the vehicle until it ran a red light at the intersection of 6200 South and 2700 West and crashed into another vehicle, police said.
Taft then crashed through a fence and into a power pole, temporarily knocking out power in the area, Cheshire said. A stolen license plate was found on the vehicle, police said.
The occupant of the other vehicle sustained minor injuries, Cheshire said.
Taft was taken to an hospital to be evaluated and was later booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of failure to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, resulting in death or injury, a second-degree felony; and theft, with two prior convictions in the past 10 years, a class A misdemeanor.
He is being held without bail.
