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MILLCREEK — A man wanted in connection to a stolen vehicle was arrested after ramming two police vehicles before leading officers on a short pursuit early Friday morning.
Nicholas Miller Ververs, 23, was arrested and booked into Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of assault against a police officer, failure to respond at an officer’s command, reckless driving, possession of a stolen vehicle and driving on a suspended license.
Police had been searching for a man driving a white Ford F-350 stolen out of the Ogden area involved in several vehicle burglaries in the Cottonwood Heights and Holladay area, Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke said.
Lohrke said Unified officers located the vehicle at a Smith’s parking lot at 845 E. 4500 South. Ververs was spotted sleeping inside the vehicle, and officers used a public-address system to demand Ververs to climb out of the vehicle.
“When Ververs awoke, he immediately put the truck into reverse, ramming two UPD vehicles and almost striking officers directly,” Lohrke wrote in a release.
Ververs then led officers on a brief pursuit where a pursuit intervention technique was used to end the chase near 250 East and 4800 South. Ververs then fled on foot and was foudn inside another vehicle with the help of a K-9 officer, Lohrke said.
Ververs was arrested without further incident. No officers were injured during the pursuit.
The truck was originally located Thursday by Utah Transit Police near 6500 S. State Street, but Ververs fled. It was located again late Thursday night into Friday morning, Lohrke said.
Cottonwood Heights police posted a photo on social media Wednesday of the F-350 in relation to dozens of smash-and-grab vehicle burglaries. The agency even said its police chief would buy a dinner for two at Market Street Grill with any information that could lead to an arrest.
The chief will buy dinner for two at Market Street if your tip leads to their apprehension. 801-840-4000. pic.twitter.com/Jw93MAQU0a — CH Police (@CHPolice) March 9, 2017
Lohrke said several purses, electronics and even a handgun were stolen in the burglaries. Lohrke said Ververs would likely face more counts related to the burglaries. He said the truck was reported stolen out of Ogden on Sunday.
He added anyone who may have been a victim of the burglaries should contact their law enforcement agency for further direction and to get their stolen items returned.
