Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WEST VALLEY CITY — Police are searching for a man who they say stole a squad car after officers responded to a report of a disturbance Sunday morning.
Police responded to the report at a home near the area of 4500 South and 4500 West at about 6 a.m., according to West Valley police Lt. Blair Barfuss.
Barfuss said responding officers encountered 28-year-old Josh Bell who told them that the officers should go inside the home, where a disturbance was going on before driving off in the officers’ squad car.
“He was yelling at them to get into the home, stating that a family member was going to kill another family member. As officers ran into the home, they turned around observed that male jump into one of their police vehicles and drive away at a high rate of speed,” Barfuss said.
Police recovered the vehicle about 10 minutes later at nearby Woodledge Park using GPS. However, Barfuss said Bell had already fled on foot by the time the vehicle was recovered.
No firearms were inside the squad car and nothing from the vehicle was stolen, Barfuss added.
He said the man remains at large, but police believe the man is not armed. Anyone with information on Bell's whereabouts is asked to call police at 801-840-4000.
Contributing: Xoel Cardenas