Pair of Salt Lake County chases keep troopers busy

A pair of chases Wednesday night in Salt Lake County kept Utah Highway Patrol troopers busy.

The first started just after 10 p.m. near 400 South and 1250 West when an officer tried to stop a vehicle for an equipment violation, said UHP trooper Cameron Roden.

The short chase reached speeds of 60 mph and ended near 1300 West and 800 South when the occupants of the vehicle jumped out and ran.

Police were able to round up three males. The driver was a 15-year-old boy who had taken his mom's car without permission, Roden said. He and another teen were taken to juvenile detention. An 18-year-old man was later released.

The second chase started just before midnight on I-15 near the Point of the Mountain. A driver was pulled over for going 92 mph on the freeway, Roden said. When the trooper talked to the driver he suspected the man was intoxicated and called for backup.

The trooper asked the man to step out of the car. He responded by saying, "I love you, man" and sped off.

During the ensuing chase, troopers used tire spikes two or three times before the car crashed into another trooper's vehicle and a wall near 4900 South on I-15, Roden said. No one was injured.

The 23-year-old driver was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of felony fleeing and DUI.

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