Salt Lake County deputies are searching for a parolee who led police on a chase after threatening a clerk at a Fred Meyer store.
A witness outside the store, 3215 S. Valley St. (3300 East), called 911 after he spotted two men running from the store with baseball bats about 5 a.m., Salt Lake County deputy Ken Frank said.One of the men, whom authorities have tentatively identified as a 37-year-old man on parole for aggravated robbery, had forced a female clerk to the floor near the store vault after wielding a baseball bat, Frank said.
The two men fled the store before accessing the vault, leaving in a white compact car, Frank said.
Later Monday morning, a Salt Lake police officer stopped the car, but the driver sped away, successfully eluding the officer after a brief chase.
A deputy later spotted the vehicle and was able to verify that the driver, described as wearing a camouflage jacket and having a well-groomed beard, matched the description of the man who fled the Fred Meyer. Police had made no arrests as of Monday noon.