Man evades police on high-speed chase, allegedly steals taxi


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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police are searching for a man they say fled from officers, crashed his car and hijacked a taxi to evade them.

An officer attempted to stop the man's vehicle near 4400 West and 4700 South about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday because of expired plates, and later identified the driver as the registered owner of the car, 23-year-old Uriel Espinoza, said West Valley Police Lt. Kent Stokes.

Officers didn't initially pursue Espinoza but monitored his movements as he sped through the west side of the city, Stokes said. He eventually made his way to Redwood Road, where he crashed through a fence near the C.R. England trucking company.

Officers saw Espinoza jump out of his vehicle and run to a taxi, where he pulled the driver out of the car, assaulted him, and drove off in the taxi before police could stop him, Stokes said.

Espinoza made his way to an apartment complex near 3860 S. Redwood Road, where he crashed the taxi into a Jimmy John's delivery vehicle and ran into the complex. That's where police lost him.

Police are looking for the man for investigation of fleeing from police, assault, aggravated assault and vehicle theft, Stokes said. He was last seen wearing a white tank top and blue jeans, and he had short, dark hair.

A search of court records revealed several warrants were issued for Espinoza earlier this year for probation violations and failure to appear in court. Espinoza was found guilty in July of drug possession, obstructing justice and failure to stop for police.

Espinoza was convicted in September 2011 of theft and failure to stop for police.


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McKenzie Romero

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