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SALT LAKE CITY — A carjacking and resulting car chase has closed down I-80, causing major delays.
At about 4 p.m. Wednesday, police were called out on a carjacking at 3192 S. 1855 West in West Valley.
A woman reported that as she was pulling into a residential driveway when a Hispanic male pulled up in a separate vehicle and demanded her car, said Lt. Matt Elson of the West Valley Police Department.
The man was holding an item under his shirt that "appeared to be a handgun," police said.
The man left in the victim's car, a 2003 Chevy Impala. Shortly thereafter, the car the man had arrived in was reported as stolen, and West Valley police alerted other police agencies of the search for the Impala, Elson said.
The Salt Lake City Police Department identified the car at about 400 South and 900 West in Salt Lake after the driver committed "numerous traffic violations" and initiated a pursuit, said Salt Lake Police Lt. Eddie Cameron.
At about 400 South and 400 West, the vehicle got a flat tire, but police are unsure how it occurred. The vehicle traveled 20 to 30 blocks on the flat tire before the vehicle was stopped on I-80, so pursuit speeds did not go over 60 mph, according to Cameron.
"(Salt Lake City Police) initiated a pursuit, which ended up coming westbound on I-80. They performed a PIT maneuver, pursuit intervention technique, and were able to stop the car, and they took the suspect into custody," Elson said.
Cameron said after the maneuver, Salt Lake City officers were able to take the man into custody without further incident.
"Once the officer 'pitted' the car and it started to spin out, right before it came to a rest he stuck his hands out the window, and two officers took him into custody," Cameron said.
Police identified the man as 19-year-old David Montoya, who Elson said has a "history of involvement" with police.
Cameron said that police consider the man a "dangerous, violent criminal," but they are not sure at this time what his motive was at this time.
"Anyone who is going to take person property using a gun is someone we don't want on the streets," he said.
The man was taken to the hospital for precautionary reasons after complaining of neck pain, Cameron said. He is expected to be booked into jail Wednesday night.
Elson said the victim did the right thing when she immediately handed over the vehicle and called police.
"It's a car. There's no point in putting your safety into jeopardy over a vehicle," Elson said.
West Valley police will conduct the investigation.
Westbound I-80 was closed from I-15 to Redwood Road while police investigated the chase, but the freeway was reopened before 9 p.m.
Contributing: Amanda Taylor and Paul Nelson
