West Valley City police seek 2 suspects after triple crime-scene pursuit

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Aug. 10, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A stolen truck pulling a camper led West Valley City police on a pursuit Friday morning that included three crime scenes.

Just after midnight, WVC officers were dispatched to a suspicious vehicle on Appleton Drive, just south of Parkway Boulevard.

The truck and camper, both with their lights off, had been driving around the neighborhood, then pulled into the driveway of a residence that had been empty for a month.

Sgt. Sean McCarthy, West Valley City Police, said as officers approached to investigate, the truck and camper pulled out of the driveway, again without lights, and tried to exit the neighborhood.

“With the truck towing a camper, we attempted a traffic stop, and the vehicle actually fled, towing a camping trailer,” McCarthy said with a nearly suppressed chuckle. “No officers pursued, but due to pulling a trailer, they were able to maintain a visual of it.”

It drove west on Parkway Boulevard to 3600 West, then into a neighborhood, McCarthy said.

“At one point the camping trailer separated from the truck and struck a parked vehicle, moved that about 20 feet,” he said. That happened at 3521 Honda Ave.

“The truck continued on, and actually came to a stop behind this business here, where it went through the chain link fence of a trucking company.”

The truck crash occurred at 3338 Parkway Blvd., West Valley City. Officers had seen at least two people in the truck earlier. The occupants fled before police arrived at the scene, and a search by officers and a K-9 failed to locate them.

Police discovered there was a residential burglary at the Appleton Drive location, and they found some evidence at the scene, McCarthy said.

“We’ve got a good idea who the two people were who were in the vehicle,” McCarthy said.