Man leads police on chase through West Valley City

WEST VALLEY CITY — A man was arrested Saturday after leading police on a high-speed chase that lasted about 20 minutes.

It began about 9:45 a.m. at the intersection of 4100 South and Bangerter Highway. West Valley Police Lt. Bill Merritt said an on-duty officer noticed a broken rear window on a vehicle, a typical sign related to vehicle burglary. The officer ran the plates and learned that the vehicle was not insured.

When the officer attempted to pull the vehicle over to question the driver, the man tried to escape.

Merritt said the driver began slamming on his brakes in an attempt to force the officer to rear end the vehicle. When that failed, the man began driving erratically, heading west on 3100 South, Merritt said.

The chase began and additional officers were called to the area to assist with traffic control and containment. As the pursuit ensued, the initial officer's cruiser was struck by a civilian vehicle near 4215 W. 3100 South. A second officer resumed the chase, which reached speeds of 80 mph, Merritt said.

As the initial officer worked with a traffic officer to resolve the fender bender, the chase doubled back. Merritt said the traffic officer heard the vehicles coming and deployed road spikes that crippled the fleeing car.

"It was a near picture-perfect pursuit," he said. "It was relatively quiet out, and we were able to stage officers appropriately."

The man attempted to continue his escape by hopping a fence into a nearby yard, but he was arrested soon after.

The man, described as in his 40s, was arrested on investigation into four felony charges, including possession of a controlled substance, fleeing a police officer and aggravated assault.

e-mail: cnorlen@desnews.com