SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Nov. 26, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A woman wanted on felony warrants was arrested Monday night after police say she fled from an officer who was trying to be a good Samaritan.
The incident began a little before 7 p.m.
Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray said the officer was eastbound on Interstate 80, heading in to work, when he saw a motorist driving on a blown tire.
The officer followed the vehicle, a silver BMW, which kept going along I-80 until it reached 700 East. At that point, the female driver got out of the car and took off on foot.
Gray told Gephardt Daily that the woman, Alexandria White, 29, of West Valley City, was not only wanted on felony warrants — she was driving a stolen vehicle when the officer attempted to stop her.
A containment area was set up, with a significant number of officers and K-9s brought in to assist in locating the suspect. The I-80 off ramp at 700 East was shut down.
As soon as White was taken into custody, Gray said, she told police that her boyfriend had been in the car with her and that he had told her to run.
Even though the first officer had seen only one person in the vehicle, the police followed through and checked it out.
“The officers went back to the car, and it was obvious that (White) had been alone in the car,” Gray said. Quoting an officer who had been at the scene, she added, “There was so much stuff in there, there was no room for another person.”
White is now facing charges for the stolen vehicle and failure to stop at the direction of a police officer, in addition to the existing felony warrants.
