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TOOELE — Three people were injured when a police chase in Tooele ended in a four-car accident Monday.
Just after 9 a.m. a Tooele animal control officer spotted a Mitsubishi that had been reported stolen from the city earlier that morning. He called dispatchers and soon several deputies in the area spotted the car, said Tooele County Sheriff Paul Wimmer.
A deputy attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver sped off. For the next six minutes, the man led deputies on a chase through residential areas, back roads and even through fields, Wimmer said. The chase reached speeds of 60 mph through the residential areas.
"It was a dangerous chase," he said.
The chase ended at the intersection of 400 N. Main when the stolen Mitsubishi ran a red light and was broadsided by an oncoming sport utility vehicle, he said. The impact from the collision caused the stolen car to hit two other vehicles stopped at the light, including a Jeep with a grandfather and two young children. The driver of the stolen vehicle was ejected from the car, Wimmer said.
"I said to my husband, 'What are they doing?' And he says, 'They're chasing that orange car.' And by that time it was just on top of us. I mean, it just happened so quickly," said Linda Davies who was also stopped at the intersection. "He hit this SUV and all the debris just flew. … His bumper was on our bumper, it had flown off and hit our bumper."
A total of eight people were in the four vehicle. The driver being chased was flown by medical helicopter to a local hospital. Two others were taken to local hospitals by ambulance.
The suspect was listed in critical condition when he was taken to the hospital. His name was not immediately released.
A tire from one of the damaged vehicles was thrown through the window of Janna's Java, which sits on the corner.
"We didn't know what it was. All we knew was something hit the building really hard," said employee Shayla Martin who just moments earlier was standing at the register.
The tire bounced over a flower pot, through the window, hit a shelf with equipment and supplies, and bounded back. It even caused a credit card machine to be tossed over one person's head, according to employees. Martin said she would have been hit if she had not just walked into a back room.
"For some reason I just left that spot at the right time. Pretty lucky," she said.
No one inside the coffee shop was injured.
"We didn't have a line of customers outside who could have been hurt. We had one customer start coming through right as the accident happened, and he was blocked by the side of the building," Martin said.
Wendi Olson, who later showed up at the scene, said it was her car that was stolen out of her driveway.
"Then the next thing I know everyone is calling me at work saying, 'I think I see your car in a high speed chase,'" she said.
Olson said she felt bad for everyone involved, including the man who allegedly stole her car.
"(My car) looks awful. It makes me sad. I love my car. It's not worth some kid getting that hurt over either. I hope he's OK," she said.
Wimmer said the chase and the crash are under investigation.
Last month, the Tooele County Sheriff's Office notified residents about a rash of stolen vehicles, vehicle burglaries and property thefts in the Stansbury Park area. It was not immediately known whether the man involved in Monday's chase could be linked to any of the other crimes.
Contributing: Mike Anderson
