SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah, Oct. 6, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — One patrol car was damaged and an officer nearly run over Wednesday night as thieves in a stolen SUV fled capture in Saratoga Springs.
Events began in the parking lot of the Saratoga Springs Walmart around 6 p.m. as officers were responding to a report of a 2020 Nissan Pathfinder there reported stolen out of Salt Lake City.
“As the officers were getting set up on the vehicle, two people came out of the Walmart, a man and a woman, and got in it and fled,” said Saratoga Police Sgt. Ryan Snarr.
That reaction to four patrol cars pulling into a parking lot leads officers to believe the pair are experienced criminals, he said. “We refer to them as frequent flyers.”
One of the patrol cars was struck by the Pathfinder, causing minor damage, and a patrolman was brushed by the fleeing SUV, Snarr told Gephardt Daily, but was uninjured. The police cruiser was driveable, but will need repair.
The thieves fled southbound making it onto I-15 before the police pursuit lost sight of them and the chase was called off. The Pathfinder was then spotted on I-15 southbound by a Lehi officer. An initial chase, Snarr said, again was called off because of the potential danger to other traffic.
The thieves apparent knowledge of restraints on police chase policy, he said, was further evidence of the suspect’s criminal experience.
The stolen Pathfinder was recovered unoccupied in Sandy at about 9:30 p.m.
Once the pair is apprehended, Snarr said charges could include attempted assault on a police officer for the near miss on the officer in the Walmart lot.
