A man driving a stolen vehicle led police on a short chase during rush-hour traffic in Midvale on Friday morning that ended in a three-car crash. There were no serious injuries.
Just before 8 a.m., agents from the Utah Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division spotted a stolen vehicle leaving a motel near 7200 South and 500 West. They followed the vehicle until backup officers from Midvale Police arrived and tried to pull it over.
But when the officers turned on their emergency lights the driver of the stolen vehicle accelerated, said Midvale police Sgt. Ken Jarvis.
At the intersection of 900 East and Fort Union Blvd. the man got caught in rush-hour traffic. The driver started to turn around as if he were going to make a U-turn, but instead ended up making a full loop, Jarvis said. The man sideswiped one police car in the process, he said.
The driver then tried to maneuver between vehicles like a motorcycle or bicyclist might do, Jarvis said. The result was driving through a red light at the intersection and hitting another vehicle, knocking the stolen car onto the lawn of a nearby restaurant. The other vehicle that was hit bounced off and hit a third car, Jarvis said.
The driver of the stolen vehicle got out of his car and ran but was caught a short distance later. The man complained of chest injuries due to the car crash and was taken to a local hospital for evaluation before being taken to jail. The drivers of the other vehicles also suffered minor injuries.
While the man was running from police he dropped a couple of stolen watches, Jarvis said. Inside the car, detectives found other stolen property including more jewelry and a stereo. Investigators believe the man might have been involved in a home burglary earlier in the day.
Two females in the car were taken to police headquarters for questioning. Their involvement or whether they would also be arrested was unknown Friday.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com