SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah, Sept. 23, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — Officials have identified a woman killed during a Wednesday morning police pursuit in Summit County.
The passenger of the suspect vehicle has been identified as 19-year-old Daisha Reynolds, of Salt Lake City, said a statement from the Summit County Sheriff’s Office Thursday morning. The driver of the vehicle has been identified as 22-year-old Charles Caster, also of Salt Lake City.
Both vehicle occupants were ejected from the vehicle after it rolled several times. Reynolds was pronounced dead at the scene, while Caster was transported in critical condition by medical helicopter to a Salt Lake area hospital, where he remains hospitalized.
A statement Wednesday said: “At 9:04 a.m., Summit County Sheriff’s Office public safety communications center received a report of a black passenger vehicle stolen from a parking lot in Hideout, Utah in Wasatch County. The stolen vehicle call was transferred to Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office.”
“At 10:03 a.m., the Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call from a Midway resident who reported individuals were attempting to break into a vehicle. The caller said two people got into a black passenger car and left the area. The vehicle matched the description of the reported stolen vehicle earlier in the morning. Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office put out an attempt to locate on the black passenger car.”
At approximately 10:20 a.m., a Wasatch County deputy located the black passenger car on State Route113 and attempted to stop the vehicle, the statement said.
“The vehicle failed to stop — the deputy pursued the vehicle through Midway — on two separate occasions the pursuit was terminated because deputies lost visual of the vehicle,” it0 said. “Deputies and officers resumed the pursuit on River Road to U.S. 40 where speeds were in excess of 95 mph.”
According to the SCSO’s statement, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper on U.S. Highway 40 deployed a tire deflating device in an attempt to slow the fleeing vehicle. Several miles later, a Summit County Sheriff’s deputy attempted to deploy a tire deflating device. The suspect vehicle swerved on the roadway, lost control and crashed near mile marker two on US-40.
A team of law enforcement officers from agencies outside those involved in the chase will investigate the deadly incident. The group will include investigators from the Utah Attorney General’s Office, West Valley Police Department and Park City Police Department, the SCSO statement said.
No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident.
The Thursday statement added: “Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Summit County Sheriff’s Office, and the Utah Highway Patrol offer our condolences to the family and friends of Daisha Reynolds.
“We encourage anyone who witnessed any part of the incident to call us with information at 435-615-3601, reference ‘US 40 Police Pursuit.'”
