SPANISH FORK, April 26, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A 27-year-old Springville man died early Friday after police say he crashed his vehicle into a tree while fleeing from officers following a road-rage incident.
Emergency dispatchers received a call at 2:17 a.m. from a driver who said another motorist had been staring at him while stopped at a traffic light near 800 North and U.S. 6, and then started to follow him, Spanish Fork police said in a news release.
The driver was on the phone with dispatchers when the other vehicle began ramming his vehicle, police said.
The vehicle continued to follow and attempt to ram the concerned driver as he exited U.S. 6, drove to Canyon Road and headed west, according to police.
Officers spotted the suspect’s vehicle in the area of 600 East and Canyon Road, and attempted to make a traffic stop near 400 East and 300 South, police said. The vehicle then fled “at a high rate of speed,” and officers lost sight of it.
Police later found the vehicle near 500 North and 400 East, where it had crashed into a large tree in the front yard of a home, according to police.
Officers and EMS performed life-saving efforts on the man, but he was pronounced dead, police said.
The fatal crash is being investigated by the Utah County Officer Involved Critical Incident team.
Gephardt Daily will update this story as more information becomes available.
