'Dreadlocks Bandit' at large, but suspected car thief nabbed

For a while, West Jordan police thought they might have found the "Dreadlocks Bandit" serial robber. Instead, after a wild, high-speed chase, they settled for a suspected female car thief.

"Turned out she wasn't our robbery suspect, so we're still out there looking," West Jordan police Sgt. Dan Roberts said Wednesday.

WJPD officers were searching for the dreadlocks wig-wearing armed robber after he or she held up the Apollo Burgers restaurant at 7700 S. Redwood Rd. about 9 p.m. Tuesday. When the officers pulled into a nearby 7-Eleven parking lot, at 1680 W. 7000 S., they spotted a woman with a man who generally matched the suspect description.

When police ran a check on her car, a red Honda, it came up as stolen. The woman drove away alone, the officers attempted to pull her over — and the chase was on.

The woman sped north on Redwood Road, turned around and headed south until she crashed with two cars at 104th and Redwood Rd. No serious injuries resulted, and police were able to take the woman into custody.

The 26-year-old Midvale woman was booked into Salt Lake County Jail in suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing police, driving on a suspended license and providing false information.

Meanwhile, the wigged robbery suspect — who struck for a second time Tuesday night while police were chasing the woman — remains at large, sought in several convenience store holdups in Salt Lake City and Murray as well as West Jordan.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims