Tooele deputies arrest 3 in stolen-car chase

TOOELE — Deputies have arrested three people in a chase where an officer was nearly run over.

Tooele County sheriff's deputies said it began at 3:46 a.m. Tuesday, when a man's car was stolen and someone called in to report a street race in Stansbury Park.

"It was an individual who had seen them stealing his car," Tooele County Sheriff Frank Park said. "The deputies picked up the chase."

The chase continued through Tooele until the car was pulled over.

"Another vehicle came up from behind without its lights on and almost hit the sergeant," Park said.

The officer dove out of the way as the car slammed on its brakes and two teenagers from the traffic stop jumped in. The chase picked up for another mile, where law enforcement spiked the car's tires.

"It went off the road in a dust cloud," Park said. "When the dust settled, they fled."

Officers picked up a teenage girl hiding in a field. A teenage boy was nabbed when he showed up at a rancher's home seeking help.

The 20-year-old driver accused of trying to hit the deputy was found hiding in an outbuilding near Vernon. He was booked into the Tooele County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault.