This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A black Ford Expedition — bearing Utah license plates — used by the suspects in a Wednesday mass shooting incident in California was a rental car, police said Thursday.
San Bernardino Police Chief Jarrod Burguan said at a Thursday press conference that the suspects had rented the car three or four days earlier and "that is why it had Utah plates."
Utah Department of Public Safety officials had said earlier Thursday they were cooperating with state and federal investigators in southern California regarding the Utah license plates, but had declined to release details.
"We are in touch with police and are sharing information on the incident but we cannot release any details on the investigation," DPS Sgt. Todd Royce said Thursday morning.
An Associated Press photo of the suspects' SUV, taken at the scene where the pair were killed in a shootout with police, shows a front license plate that appears to be a Utah plate depicting the Beehive State's iconic Delicate Arch.
The SUV is the suspected getaway car used by Syed R. Farook, 28, and Tashfeen Malik, 27, whom police believe opened fire inside the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, Calif, leaving 14 dead and 17 wounded.
The pair later led police on a car chase that ended in a shootout. Both were killed.
It appeared Thursday the couple had no ties to Utah. jdobner@sltrib.com