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SOUTH SALT LAKE — A chase across three cities started and ended with crashes Wednesday night.
Officers responded to a report that a vehicle had been fraudulently purchased at Sunburst Auto, 2635 S. State, at 8 p.m. Wednesday. When police arrived, a woman and her male passenger were trying to drive away from the premises, said South Salt Lake police spokesman Mitch Howard.
The Chrysler 300 the woman was driving had been fraudulently purchased at an earlier time and the driver of the car returned to the business Wednesday for an unknown reason, he said.
The driver crashed into three cars owned by Sunburst, and also caused "significant damage" to two police cruisers before exiting the parking lot, Howard said.
Police chased the driver through Salt Lake City to North Salt Lake, where the driver crossed over railroad tracks as the arms were coming down, Howard said. The driver lost control of the vehicle, causing the car to roll and land again on all four tires. The driver then made a U-turn, crashed through the lowered railroad arms, lost control of the car again and crashed into a power pole near 300 West and Center Street, according to North Salt Lake Police Sgt. Mitch Gwilliam.
A train had either recently passed or was about to pass over the tracks when the driver crossed the second time, Howard said. It was "very, very lucky this incident didn't turn out differently."
The driver, Dominique Kennedy, 21, was arrested for investigation of identity fraud, aggravated assault, theft by deception, fleeing with bodily injury, criminal mischief, forgery and on other warrants.
Passenger Cody Smith, 27, was taken to an area hospital with injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening. He will be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on an outstanding warrant after his release from the hospital, Howard said.
No officers were injured in the chase.
Power in the area was out for a few hours Wednesday night while crews addressed the power pole that Howard said was "basically obliterated."
