Unified Police: Wild chase, crash in stolen car; two arrested

A man and woman were arrested Monday morning after a brief but wild chase in which they crashed a stolen car near Magna.

Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal said the incident began at 9:43 a.m. when a man spotted his blue Chevrolet Equinox, which had been stolen Sunday, near 3100 S. 8400 West. Inside the car were a male driver and a female passenger.

The Equinox owner began following the vehicle, using his cell phone to call 911. The pursuit continued onto eastbound Highway 201, where both vehicles stopped at a red light near 5600 West just as UPD units arrived on the scene.

"As the officers approached, the suspects put the Equinox into reverse and rammed the complainant's car, then tried to ram officers before hitting a pole and continuing through a field onto 5600 West and southbound," Hoyal said.

With UPD officers now in pursuit, the Equinox weaved in and out of oncoming traffic before colliding with a white Chevrolet pickup truck near 3500 South and 5600 West.

The 19-year-old male suspect fled southbound, but was nabbed by police about a block away; the 21-year-old female ran a short distance eastbound where she was shocked with a Taser after refusing to comply with officers' demands to halt and surrender.

Hoyal said only the 19-year-old auto theft suspect was hurt, being treated for minor injuries at Pioneer Valley Hospital before he was to join the woman being booked into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of vehicle theft and evading police, among other charges.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims