RICHFIELD — An interstate fugitive was apprehended after attempting to get away from police by faking a heart attack.

Utah Highway Patrol trooper Jason Haywood stopped a car with Ohio plates Friday near the town of Elsinore, about six miles south of Richfield, on I-70.

During the stop, the 26-year-old male driver told Haywood he was experiencing chest pain. He refused the offer of ambulance assistance, however, but asked for directions to the hospital.

Haywood gave the directions to the hospital, but not before requesting the driver's license. Haywood offered to follow the driver to the hospital, and while on the way checked the driver's license.

Before Haywood got the results, the driver left the freeway on an exit that did not lead to the hospital. Through his vehicle's loudspeaker, Haywood informed the driver he had taken the wrong exit, whereupon the driver turned back onto the freeway in the opposite direction.

Haywood continued to follow as the man tried to evade him at speeds sometimes up to 120 mph. Meantime, UHP dispatch informed Haywood that the man was wanted in Ohio and that the car had been reported stolen.

The chase continued to the junction of I-70 and I-15, where the suspect turned south on I-15 and fled at speeds up to 130 mph.

North of Beaver, assisting UHP troopers deployed tire-deflation devices. With flattened tires, the car exited the freeway and came to a stop within half a mile.

Troopers arrested the driver and booked him into the Sevier County Jail on charges of evading police, possession of a stolen vehicle and a warrant from the FBI's National Criminal Information Center.

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E-mail: john@sanpetemessenger.com