Police shoot out tires, use K-9 to capture fugitive


6 photos
Save Story

Show 1 more video

Leer en español

Estimated read time: 4-5 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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 JORDAN — A man on the run for a week, after allegedly kidnapping his ex-girlfriend and fleeing from police before breaking into an elderly couple's house to hide, was arrested Sunday night.

Brian Steven Platt, 35, who goes by the monikers "Tricky" and "King Crip," was arrested in West Jordan by the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit for investigation of kidnapping, fleeing and resisting arrest, as well as other warrants.

Just before midnight, officers attempted to pull over an older model Ford pickup with four people all in the front seat, including Platt, who investigators knew was in the vehicle, near 5000 West and 6300 South, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report.

But as Platt had done several times before, he attempted to flee from police.

One woman jumped out of the car when it stopped. But Platt ordered the driver to keep going. The driver refused and a fight ensued. Platt leaned over, threw the truck in gear and stepped on the gas pedal, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. The driver, who was "in fear for his life," kept both his feet on the brake pedal to prevent Platt from fleeing, the report stated.

The truck was literally "bouncing around" as the two men fought over the control of the vehicle, Hoyal said. At one point, an officer attempting to get in the vehicle was bumped, but he was uninjured, Hoyal said.

Police shot out the tires on the driver's side of the car to prevent the vehicle from going any farther, broke out the passenger window and sent a police dog in to get Platt.

"Fearing that there might be a kidnapping situation here, our officers started to fire shots at the tires to keep the truck from being able to leave," Loyal said.

Several members of the gang unit eventually handcuffed him and took him into custody.

Platt was treated at a local hospital for dog bites before being booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. An officer was treated for a cut on his hand while trying to take Platt into custody.

Another woman in the truck, 30-year-old Jamie George, was arrested for investigation of obstruction of justice. Police say she was harboring Platt, who she knew was on the run from law enforcers.

Police had been searching for Platt since July 1 after he reportedly held a former girlfriend against her will. Investigators believe Platt picked up the woman at a Midvale motel. But once in the car, he would not let the woman out of the back seat. Platt, sitting in front, leaned over the back and began punching the woman, according to police.

The alleged assault was observed by another motorist who called police. Platt's car was pulled over near 9800 South and 1000 East. But Platt refused to get out of the vehicle and at one point even lunged at the officer through the window with a knife, according to police. The officer deployed his Taser, But Platt pulled the probes out, jumped out the passenger window and ran away, according to police.

The area was surrounded and searched for several hours. It was during that time that Platt entered the home of an elderly White City couple. They believe he was in their house for several hours before being confronted by the homeowners. Platt allegedly took money, credit cards and jewelry before fleeing.

In March, Platt was arrested following a high-speed chase in Lehi that ended when he failed to make a turn and crashed into a backyard and a children's play set. No one was injured in the incident.

Platt ran off into a field and hid. But police caught him the next day.

At that time, Platt had a warrant out of 3rd District Court for his arrest for failing to appear in court on charges of theft by receiving stolen property and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Utah state court records. A separate warrant was also issued out of Midvale Justice Court for failing to appear on a drug-related charge.

In 2004, Platt was convicted of felony aggravated assault and sentenced to up to five years at the Utah State Prison, according to court records. Just the year before, he was convicted on a felony theft-related crime but received a suspended prison sentence.

His criminal history in Utah dates back to at least 1996 when he was convicted on amended felony charges of attempted robbery.

Contributing: Haley Smith

Photos

Related stories

Most recent Utah stories

Related topics

Utah
Pat Reavy

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast