SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 28, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A suspect rammed a Unified Police Department Metro Gang Unit pickup head-on in a stolen vehicle during a pursuit Thursday evening, police said.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., detectives with the Metro Gang Unit were in Salt Lake City looking for an AP&P fugitive, UPD Lt. Paul Barker told Gephardt Daily.
“They had an address around 900 West and 1300 South, and they saw a male outside that matched the description,” Barker said. “So some of the detectives walked up on him, and it was their fugitive. They took him into custody without incident.”
That suspect’s name is Anthony Wood, 33, Barker said.
“As this was happening, a car took off from that house,” he added. “So other detectives that were still in their cars followed that car to see who they were. They committed a traffic violation and officers tried to initiate a traffic stop.”
The vehicle started to flee, and as it was traveling down a small side street in Salt Lake City, the driver rammed one of the Metro Gang Unit vehicles head-on and fled again. The officer was not injured, Barker said. The officer’s vehicle, a pickup truck, sustained minor damage.
A pursuit was initiated that went south onto Redwood Road, onto SR-201, came back east on SR-201 and went into West Valley City where it terminated on Parkway Boulevard and about 3400 West.
Three people fled from the vehicle, and a man and a woman were immediately taken into custody. The third individual, believed to be the driver, fled on foot and escaped. K-9 officers from UPD and West Valley City Police Department searched for the suspect, but he was not located. The Department of Public Safety helicopter also searched for the man.
The outstanding suspect has been identified as Tefua Bloomfield, 27. He has felony warrants out for his arrest, Barker said. Bloomfield will be facing numerous charges and officials will likely release a photograph of him imminently.
