Layton man in custody after high speed chase

A Layton man was in custody Tuesday night after a chase across two counties in which a Utah Highway Patrol trooper wrecked his patrol car.

UHP trooper Cameron Roden said the chase began around 8:30 p.m. on I-15 near Farmington when troopers spotted the 41-year-old Layton man driving a stolen Ford F350 pickup truck. They attempted to use spikes to stop the truck, Roden said, but the driver used "evasive maneuvers" to dodge the spikes, almost striking troopers in the process.

The chase continued into Salt Lake County, where the truck exited I-15 at 7200 South and drove west, Roden said. The truck turned north on 1300 West, and a trooper, who was following in a patrol car, tried to hit the truck and push it off the road. The trooper lost control of his vehicle and struck a utility pole near 6600 South.

The truck blew a tire a block down the road, Roden said, and officers were able to take the man into custody without further incident.

The trooper who crashed his vehicle was transported to Intermountain Medical Center to be check for a possible fractured rib, Roden said.

Roden said the man is in custody for investigation of vehicle theft, aggravated assault, felony fleeing and reckless driving.

— Jens Dana