Salt Lake police searching for trio who fled after crashing stolen minivan

Salt Lake City police officials are searching for two men and a women who fled on foot after crashing a stolen minivan that may have been filled with stolen property into two other vehicles Wednesday morning. Photo: Gephardt Daily/Steve Milner/SFMilner8

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 7, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police officials are searching for two men and a women who fled on foot after crashing a stolen minivan that may have been filled with stolen property into two other vehicles Wednesday morning.

Detective Robert Ungricht, Salt Lake City Police Department, told Gephardt Daily the incident occurred just after 8 a.m. when the suspects in the minivan attempted to make a left turn onto North Temple from 1000 West.

The driver of the van “gunned it” and slammed into two cars that were heading southbound on 1000 West, Ungricht said. That area is a two-lane road and one car was in the first lane and one in the second lane. Those two drivers had the green light in their direction of travel.

One of the cars was pushed onto the TRAX line in that location, but it was moved before a train came through.

An adult who was in one of the cars was transported by ground ambulance to an area hospital with minor injuries; a minor who was in one of the cars was transported in a private vehicle to an area hospital for assessment.

The three suspects in the minivan took off running westbound along North Temple.

The stolen minivan contained property including brand new boxes of items, a bike, a trailer hitch and a generator, Ungricht said. These items have been seized as evidence and investigators will be working to see if certain items, such as the bike, are registered to anyone.

Ungricht said officials cannot say for sure whether the items were stolen but that’s what they will be working to establish. All three vehicles had to be towed from the scene.

Officials have information that the suspects stopped in the area to purchase beverages before the crash, and they are checking to see if there is surveillance footage of the trio.

The three suspects are described as being in their 30s. One man was wearing purple pajama bottoms and a dark shirt; the second man was wearing gray sweatpants and a dark shirt with the letters NY on it. There is no description of the woman.

“It is a good thing no one was seriously injured,” Ungricht said. He pointed out that with rush hour traffic and TRAX lines in the area, the incident could have had a much more serious outcome.

He added that when the suspects are located, they may be facing charges including leaving the scene of an accident, possessing a stolen vehicle and possessing stolen property.

Anyone who has information on the suspects is asked to call the SLCPD at 801-799-3000.

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