UTAH COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 30, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A Springville man is in custody after police say he led multiple agencies on a circuitous high speed chase through Utah County Sunday morning.
Michael Charles Rankin, 40, was detained after an incident that began in Mapleton, then continued through Payson, Spanish Fork and Springville, Utah County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Spencer Cannon said in a news release.
The incident began when a Mapleton police officer attempted to make a traffic stop on a car Rankin was driving for a registration violation, Sunday, at approximately 10:20 a.m.
Rankin fled and the Mapleton officer elected not to pursue him. At approximately 11:05 a.m. a deputy with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, unaware of the incident in Mapleton, saw a car parked in a pullout near the entrance to Payson Canyon.
“That is an area known for illegal activity so the deputy began to turn, intending to talk to the occupants in the car,” the news release said. “He did not have his emergency lights on. The driver of the car drove away at high speed, driving recklessly. Because of the reckless driving the deputy activated his emergency lights and attempted to stop the car. The driver refused to stop and the deputy pursued him.”
The pursuit continued through Payson, into Spanish Fork, and into Springville. Officers with Springville, Spanish Fork, and Mapleton Police Departments, and deputies with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office were all involved in trying to stop the suspect vehicle. During this time several other officers and deputies attempted to deploy spikes in an effort to stop the car. The suspect driver swerved several times in an obvious effort to hit those who were deploying spikes, the news release said.
When the suspect was in the area of 1400 N. West Frontage Rd. he made a U-turn and drove directly at a Springville officer. That officer drew his sidearm and fired at the suspect. The suspect then drove north on the southbound I-15 off ramp, made another U-turn, and drove back south and onto southbound I-15. At about this point deputies and officers lost contact with the suspect.
Law enforcement had registration information for the car and believed the driver was the registered owner. They used his cell phone information to locate him at about 940 N. 600 East in Springville.
“When they first saw the car there was nobody in it,” the news release goes on. “A short time later the suspect and passenger got back in the car and officers and deputies pursued him again. This time a pilot with the Utah County Sheriff’s Office was in a fixed wing aircraft and was able to maintain visual contact with the suspect car.”
During both pursuits the suspect reached speeds in excess of 120 mph. With the airplane involved, officers and deputies slowed their active pursuit. Just before 1:10 p.m., the suspect stopped behind a business in the area of 950 N. 700 East in Spanish Fork. An officer with the Spanish Fork Police and a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office confronted the suspect there. The suspect then drove directly toward the Spanish Fork officer, who responded by withdrawing his sidearm and firing at the suspect. The suspect then stopped and surrendered to officers and deputies.
The female passenger, who is an adult family member of the suspect, told officers and deputies she had been shot in the head. It appeared that she sustained a gunshot wound when an officer shot at the suspect in Springville. Her injury did not appear to be life threatening and she was transported to the hospital by ground ambulance.
Rankin was not injured and was booked into the Utah County Jail on five counts of third-degree felony failure to respond to officers signal to stop, four counts of class B misdemeanor reckless driving, and expired registration, no proof of insurance, as well as speeding.
The officer involved shooting protocol team with the Utah County Attorney’s Office is investigating this case, and additional charges may be filed.
