DUI suspect hits officer and concert patron, causes multi-car accident


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PROVO — A man is in custody after driving through a roof-top concert, hitting an officer and a concert patron, and finally causing a nine-car accident in Provo under suspicion of inebriation Friday night, police said.

At 6:57 p.m. Friday, a male identified as Kenneth Hafner, 46, of Orem, drove his Chevy Suburban through barricades on Center Street in Provo set up to protect pedestrians at a roof-top concert, according to Provo Police Department. Hafner then began to weave between concert patrons at about 15 mph, police said.

A Provo Police officer caught up to the vehicle on foot and banged on the window, ordering Hafner to stop and eventually opening the passenger door and repeating the command when Hafner refused. Rather than stopping, Hafner then accelerated the vehicle, striking both the officer and a concert patron, according to police.

Hafner then turned northbound onto 100 West and continued north for four blocks to 400 North, at which point he struck an occupied vehicle, police said. The force from this initial collision caused a chain reaction which eventually included seven more vehicles, according to police. Three of the nine total vehicles involved were occupied, and six were parked.

After the collision, Hafner jumped out of the vehicle and ran for about a block and a half before officers located him and placed him under arrest, police said. Hafner has a warrant for his arrest out of California for a parole violation. He was set to undergo tests to determine if he was under the influence, which is suspected.

One person from the multi-car accident was transported to the hospital with minor injuries, police said. Several other pedestrians plus the initial officer involved sustained very minor injuries.

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Ben Dowsett

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