SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 13, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — At least two people, including the alleged driver of a stolen car, were injured Tuesday night after a high speed crash at the intersection of 900 West 300 North in Salt Lake City.
According West Valley City Police Lt. Steve Beardshall, detectives from WVCPD were in unmarked vehicles “monitoring a car” reported stolen in West Valley City a couple of days ago, when then car came to a stop about 8:45 p.m., “just down the road” from the site of the crash.
“Several occupants got out of the car at that time, and we felt it was a good time to conduct a stop,” Beardshall said. “When we attempted the stop, several occupants of the vehicle fled on foot” but the driver “ignored our emergency equipment” and “flipped a U-turn,” fleeing northbound on 900 West.
A DPS helicopter, which had been assisting WVCPD detectives in tracking the stolen car, “continued to monitor the vehicle as it fled, and observed the crash,” Beardshall said.
The moments leading up to crash, including the sound of the high-speed collision, were captured on a home security video obtained by Gephardt Daily. The man who provided the video said police did not appear to chasing the stolen car when it hit the other vehicle.
Beardshall indicated the crash was not being investigated as an officer-involved critical incident and detectives had been specifically advised not to pursue the stolen car since the DPS chopper was still in the area.
“We definitely are careful to balance between catching suspects and keeping the public safe. We are going to thoroughly investigate that and look into the tactics that we used here tonight,” Beardshall said.
“Salt Lake City is graciously assisting us. We will be investigating the criminal side of this, but they are going to help us with the accident. “We appreciate all of their help, and, yeah, our fellow law enforcement agencies have been really great tonight.”
Beardshall said the occupants who ran from the stolen car before the driver sped off had been taken into custody. He said it was unclear in the early stages of the investigation if they would be charged in the case.
