AMERICAN FORK, Utah May 29, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A fugitive wanted by the U.S. Marshals Office was taken into custody Saturday afternoon after a chaotic chase involving shots fired by police officers.
According to the American Fork Police Department, officers were called to the area of 500 East 300 North around 1:30 for a report of a damaged vehicle driving all over the road and into oncoming traffic.
Police say the vehicle description was the same as one involved in an incident in Pleasant Grove earlier in the day and that the vehicle was stolen.
The driver came to stop a couple blocks away and officers from both American Fork and Pleasant Grove attempted to contact the driver later identified as 41-year-old Matthew Bryan.
In a statement to Gephardt Daily police say Bryan immediately became belligerent, refused to follow their commands. The statement goes on to say that at “some point during the encounter, officers fired their weapons” but apparently did not hit anyone.
Instead, they say, Bryan got back in the vehicle and drove away.
Police chased him to Lehi, where officers were able to flatten least at one of the vehicle’s tires with “tire deflation devices”.
The chase ended a short time later when the vehicle slammed into a car parked on the side of the road near 700 North 700 East.
From there, police say Bryan got out and tried running away into a neighborhood but was quickly caught.
While police say neither the suspect or any officers were injured, Bryan was taken to a hospital as a precaution.
The statement to Gephardt Daily notes that Bryan has an extensive criminal history, is known to have violent tendencies and is wanted by U.S. Marshals for weapons charges.
Given the extent of the crimes Bryan is accused of committing and the fact that officers fired their weapons, The Utah County Officer Involved Protocol Team has taken over the investigation.
The American Fork Police Department says it is committed to a thorough investigation and will release more details to Gephardt Daily as they become available.
