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Police are searching for a man suspected in a motorcycle theft who escaped by jumping in a stranger's car.
Police say the suspect stole a motorcycle during the day Friday. Randall Parker, a friend of the motorcycle's owner, spotted the stolen bike with the suspect riding it Friday evening. Police believe Parker squeezed the motorcyclist off the road on West Temple at 4100 South, but says the motorcycle driver didn't see a tension wire and crashed the bike.
Parker said, "He came around ready to pound me, and I said, 'Hey the bike's stolen, I'm calling the police, walk away,' and he took off."
Lt. Jason Johnson, with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, said, "Our witnesses told deputies they then observed the suspect getting into a van, a maroon van, and fleeing the area."
The driver of the van returned to the scene a few minutes later, saying the man had approached her car and asked for a ride. Too scared to say no, she drove him several blocks. Once he got out she returned to the scene and told police what had happened.
A search of the area failed to find the man. Investigators believe he may have used his cell phone to call for a ride. He's described as a large man with cuts on his arm and face from the accident.
E-mail: sdallof@ksl.com
E-mail: tcallan@ksl.com
