Estimated read time: 2-3 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 Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information.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.
LEHI — Dash-cam video released to KSL News Wednesday shows a police officer's perspective in a high-speed chase that ended with a man being shot and killed by police on I-15.
The Feb. 25 chase spanned three counties and caused major traffic delays for afternoon commuters along the I-15 corridor. Police officers in Lehi were the first to pursue the driver, not knowing who they were dealing with or how the situation would unfold.
It began at a Motel 6, were Lehi police were helping fellow officers in Draper find Brett Knight, 33, who was suspected in a bank robbery from a few days earlier.
"As officers got in the area where they were to meet the Draper officers, the suspect was leaving the area in a vehicle," said Lehi Police Lt. Darren Paul.
Dash-cam video shows the view from two Lehi patrol cars as the officers followed Knight's black pickup truck onto northbound I-15.
"Speeds got up to about 115 (miles per hour) at times, and fluctuated between 90 (mph) and 115 (mph)," Paul said.
In all, there were four Lehi patrol cars involved in the pursuit. The officers had little to go on; and as the chase continued, they had a lot to consider.
Paul said officers asked questions like, "What do we know about the suspect? (What is) the severity of the reason for the chase? (What is) the risk to civilians?"
When they reached the 9000 South interchange in Sandy, police made the decision to end their pursuit.
"At this time, the handgun wasn't known to us," Paul said.
Other law enforcement agencies took over from there. At the 4300 South interchange, the Utah Highway Patrol spiked two tires on Knight's pickup truck — but that didn't stop him.
Knight drove on his truck's rims until he got to Davis County, where a police vehicle forced his truck to spin out. Officers shot and killed Knight when he got out of his truck and raised a gun in their direction.
Authorities say this case shows just how unpredictable police pursuits can be. "There's so much risk and so many things that have to be weighed out in split seconds," Paul said.
The Davis County Attorney's Office is working to determine whether the four officers who opened fire on Knight were justified in using deadly force. County Attorney Troy Rawlings said Wednesday that review is well under way.
