Man in custody after alleged double hit-and-run crashes

Two crashes involving three vehicles that shut down the northbound lanes on Redwood Road for more than an hour Tuesday evening were allegedly caused by a reckless driver who blew through a red light and sent at least two people to the hospital.

Sgt. Rich Bell of the West Jordan Police Department said a man driving a red Ford pickup got into a crash with another vehicle at 7800 S. Redwood Road at about 5 p.m. then drove off heading north. Bell said that several witnesses reported that the man was speeding, perhaps going as fast as 80 mph on the road while weaving through rush-hour traffic.

The driver of the pickup then came to an intersection with 7000 South and drove through a red light. The pickup then made a T-bone collision with another car, causing injuries to a driver and passenger in the other car. Bell said the people in the car were taken to the hospital with scrapes, bruises and possible broken bones.

The second crash disabled the man's pickup, so he allegedly got out and started running away on foot, but not fast enough to escape two off-duty police officers from outside of West Jordan, who held him until West Jordan officers arrived.

Bell said the man was in custody Tuesday evening and that investigators are looking into the possibility that the driver may have been intoxicated.

kbennion@sltrib.com

Twitter: @KimballBennion