2 boys apprehended after car chase, ground search

Two Salt Lake-area teenagers led state troopers and other officers on a lengthy chase that reached speeds of 125 mph on I-80 early Sunday.

About 5:39 a.m., Wendover, Utah, police were contacted by West Wendover, Nev., police and informed a car was traveling about 65 mph on Wendover Boulevard and was about to cross the state line. Wendover, Utah, Police Sgt. Noberto Aranda said police then pursued the car, which entered eastbound I-80.

State troopers and eventually other agencies, including the Tooele County Sheriff's Office, became involved as the chase reached speeds of 125 mph and continued for 53 miles on I-80 heading toward Salt Lake City.

At mile marker 53, the car ran out of gas and was pulled over. Two teenage boys, one 16 and the other 17, fled on foot and disappeared into a field south of the freeway.

A SWAT team, K-9 unit and helicopter then joined the search. The boys were spotted at 12:14 p.m., 10 miles farther east on I-80, where they had apparently traveled by foot. They were trying to hitch a ride, Aranda said, when they were spotted by a police officer.

The boys were apprehended without incident at that point and immediately asked for water, Aranda said. "They did a lot of running," he noted.

Possible charges, Aranda said, include possession of a stolen vehicle, speeding and reckless driving.