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SOUTH SALT LAKE — A pedestrian hit by a man that police say was on a stolen motorcycle has died as a result of his injuries.
Mark Swindle, 49, died Tuesday just after 7 p.m., according to South Salt Lake police.
On Aug. 29, a man driving a stolen motorcycle on 3300 South hit Swindle in the intersection at 900 West, according to South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller. After hitting Swindle, the motorcyclist was still able to drive away.
But debris from the motorcycle was left at the crash scene. One of those pieces had a part number to a 2003-04 Honda CBR600RR. Keller said there are fewer than 10 of those motorcycles registered in the state.
Detectives discovered that one of those was stolen earlier that night in Kearns by a man who posed as a buyer interested in purchasing the bike. The would-be buyer convinced the seller after 90 minutes of talking to let him take it for a test drive if he left his car and ID, Keller said. The ID was fake and the car did not belong to the would-be buyer, who never came back with the motorcycle.
The description of that buyer matched the one that witnesses gave police on Aug. 29, Keller said.
On Saturday, acting on an anonymous tip, detectives found the motorcycle stashed in the bushes at a boarded-up house at 412 Warnock. The vehicle was damaged and had blood on it, according to a Salt Lake County Jail report. After finding the motorcycle, officers began going door to door asking if anyone had seen a man who matched the description of the suspect.
While they were doing that, a man on a bicycle tried to ride the opposite direction of the officers. Keller said investigators recognized him as the man they were looking for. That led to a 90-minute foot chase through several backyards, he said.
After five police K-9 units were brought to the scene, investigators were able to catch up with Lutolofi Maama, 20, of West Valley, and arrest him in the area of 2700 South and 700 East, Keller said.
The Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office will now screen updated potential charges that include the death of Swindle.
