Surveillance pictures of alleged bus thief released

SANDY — Law enforcers are hoping new surveillance photos of a man wanted for stealing a school bus and leading police on a chase before crashing into a tree will generate tips from the public that lead to his arrest.

The photos, taken from a surveillance camera inside the Canyons School District bus, show a man wearing a backwards baseball and with a scruffy goatee or beard. The man's shirt is unbuttoned and he appears to have a tattoo on his chest that starts with a cursive capital letter D.

A little before 5 a.m. Thursday, a man went into the lot where the Canyons District parks its school buses, 173 E. 9300 South, and drove off in a bus. Because the bus lot also is a state fueling station where emergency vehicles can get gasoline 24 hours a day, it is not completely enclosed by fencing.

The man drove the bus onto I-15 at 9000 South. Police spotted the vehicle and began pursing it near 4500 South. At one point during the chase, a Taylorsville police K-9's vehicle was side-swiped.

After getting on I-80 and exiting the freeway at Redwood Road, the Utah Highway Patrol terminated its pursuit after the bus ran a red light at North Temple. Shortly after, the bus was found crashed against a tree and abandoned at 500 North and 1633 West.

Because the district was on UEA break, the stolen bus did not affect the pickup and delivery of students to school that day.

Anyone who has information about the man can call police at 801-840-4000.

—Pat Reavy