ST. GEORGE, Utah, May 15, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A suspect in a double stabbing that occurred Friday night in Sandy was arrested Monday morning after a brief chase with police in St. George.
The attack, at about 10 a.m. at a home at 10225 S. Mount View Drive (470 East), sent a father and daughter to the hospital with severe injuries. When officers arrived at the Sandy home Friday, they found two people inside the residence with “severe lacerations” caused by “a large kitchen knife.”
Police said the father and daughter were attacked by an older son, Sione Vaitai, who fled the scene in the Chevy Silverado before officers arrived. The victims were rushed by ground ambulance to Intermountain Medical Center.
St. George Police Department said in a news release the department received information that Vaitai was in St. George. Officers responded to the area of 200 S. 2450 East and located a white 2009 Chevrolet Silverado associated with Vaitai.
At 9:20 a.m. Monday, officers who were watching the residence and vehicle witnessed Vaitai leaving in the Chevrolet Silverado.
Officers tried to initiate a traffic stop, the news release said, but Vaitai fled. Officers from the Utah Highway Patrol, State Bureau of Investigations and the SGPD were involved in a brief pursuit during which two attempts to stop the suspect were made using PIT maneuvers.
The suspect vehicle was stopped successfully at 280 N. Mall Drive, and taken into custody without further incident, then taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center for a medical clearance.
Fossil Ridge Intermediate School was put on lockdown during the incident to ensure that Vaitai was not able to enter the school in his efforts to evade police.
The investigation is ongoing and charges are being reviewed.
Gephardt Daily will continue to update this story as information becomes available.
