Carjack suspect, two stolen vehicles in custody after wild I-80 chase

A carjacker was in custody Thursday and two stolen cars had been recovered after police ended a high-speed chase on Interstate 80 by ramming and forcing the fleeing suspect off the road.

The drama began about 4 p.m. Wednesday after a West Valley City woman pulled into her driveway, only to be confronted by a 19-year-old man who leaped from another car. Indicating he had a handgun, he then stole the woman's 2003 model Chevrolet Impala.

West Valley City police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said the suspect left behind a car that proved to have been stolen on Sunday out of Salt Lake City.

The suspect was soon spotted by Salt Lake City police driving erratically near 500 S. Emery Street (1200 West). When officers learned the car was stolen and attempted to pull him over, the suspect sped away and onto westbound I-80.

Near 1500 West, one of the pursing police cruisers executed a PIT maneuver, a technique where the pursuer steers suddenly into the side of the target vehicle, causing it to spin and come to a stop.

Westbound lanes of I-80 near the scene were closed for several hours as police investigated and gathered evidence.

Officers then arrested the suspect, who was taken to the hospital to be checked out before being booked into the Salt Lake County jail.

He remained behind bars Thursday, being held without bail on suspicious of felony aggravated robbery, automobile theft and fleeing police, as well as misdemeanor counts of speeding and driving without a valid driver's license.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims