WVC police chase ends when suspect crashes into house

West Valley City police Friday were trying to figure out why a 34-year-old man sped away from a gas station when approached by an officer, only to crash into a home a short time later.

West Valley police Lt. Rick McLenon said the man was taken to the hospital about 1 a.m. Friday for treatment of minor injuries sustained both when his car careened into a duplex near 4700 South and 4800 West — and from fighting officers and a police dog during his arrest.

An officer was fueling his car at a Maverik gas station at 4692 S. 4800 West when the suspect allegedly drove his car over a curb and down a sidewalk before pulling up to a gas pump. The officer approached the man as he exited his vehicle to question him about his driving.

The suspect refused to answer, instead jumping back into his blue BMW and speeding away. The officer called in details, and another officer in the area began pursuit.

McLenon said that detectives serving an unrelated search warrant nearby saw the suspect vehicle approaching an threw out a tire spike strip, which blew out two tires. The suspect then crashed through a fence, into a car port and collided with a parked SUV, forcing that vehicle up against a wall of a duplex near 4700 South and 4800 West.

The suspect, along with a female passenger, were still in the BMW when officers approached. When they attempted to pull him from the car, the man allegedly assaulted officers and eventually had to be subdued by the dog.

No one inside the duplex, which included two children sleeping inside a bedroom on the other side of the wall, was hurt.

The suspect was to be booked into Salt Lake County jail after being released from the hospital. His woman companion was not arrested; she reportedly told police she had pleaded with the suspect to pull over several times prior to the crash.

It was unclear if alcohol or drugs may have played a role in the incident, but McLenon said the suspect does have a lengthy history of DUI charges.