AMERICAN FORK — One man was hospitalized in critical condition Monday after crashing during a police pursuit.

Around 3 p.m., police were chasing a vehicle with two occupants who had stolen items from a C-A-L Ranch, 175 N. State, said Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon.

The vehicle crashed in a residential neighborhood at 265 N. 300 West, injuring one of the men, Cannon said.

The man was taken to Utah Valley Hospital, where he was conscious and expected to survive Monday, said American Fork Police Lt. Sam Liddiard. The other man was taken to the Utah County Jail.

It wasn't immediately clear what caused the collision. The man crashed into some power poles, according to Liddiard.

A medical helicopter was called to the scene of the wreck. One person was taken into police custody following the crash, Cannon said.

An employee inside C-A-L Ranch told police the men were recognizable from being suspected of previously stealing expensive items from the store, Liddiard said. The employee confronted the men and they left the business, then drove around a police officer's vehicle in the parking lot and fled.

Neither man's identity was immediately released. Liddiard said Monday night that they are in their 20s.

“I’m surprised that no civilians were injured and surprised that the driver was OK that got out of the car,” said Anjula Holmes, a neighbor who witnessed the crash.

While there were no bystanders in the way, Emma Vernon said she was arriving at a house for a piano lesson and was about to park exactly where the stolen car landed.

“Every Monday I pull my U-turn and park right there,” Vernon said. “I had my hand placement to pull my U-turn, and I just saw this car flying.”

What unfolded, she said, looked like something out of a movie.

“He turned left, and then he hit the bump and that’s what made him go airborne sideways,” she explained. “(If I had been) just five seconds earlier, I would have been right there.”

View Comments

Vernon got a hug from her piano teacher.

“I’m grateful nobody else was injured,” the teacher, Shauna Searle, said. “Thank goodness.”

Email: blockhart@deseretnews.com

Twitter: benlockhartnews

Join the Conversation
Looking for comments?
Find comments in their new home! Click the buttons at the top or within the article to view them — or use the button below for quick access.