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TAYLORSVILLE — A man is in jail after police say he led them on a chase through Taylorsville and West Valley City.
Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke said at about 10 a.m. a man called 911 and made suicidal threats. When officers found the man in a car at Smith's grocery store parking lot in West Valley City, he drove away.
“We didn't have enough to pursue with the time,” Lohrke said. “We were just checking the welfare.”
Soon afterward, the man began calling 911 again. This time, officers found him at the Wells Fargo Bank at Valley Fair Mall, 3691 S. 2700 West.
“Based on the suicidal threats, we thought it was imperative that we make contact,” Lohrke said. “When we tried to again, he again fled. We attempted to pursue at this point.”
Faatea Tautaiolefue was in his car at the nearby interchange of 3500 South and I-215, where he said the fleeing man hit him with his car.
“I didn't even know how it happened,” Tautaiolefue said. “I stop right there and I go, ‘What the?’”
Tautaiolefue’s SUV ended up on the other side of the intersection.
Meanwhile, Lohrke said the man continued on while officers followed. He wasn’t going very fast, the lieutenant said, but he was acting dangerously.
“It was a fairly low-speed, but we feared that because of the weaving and in and out of traffic that he was going to go head-on with other people on the road,” Lohrke said.
Pursuing officers saw an opportunity to do a PIT maneuver to stop the man’s car near 1800 W. 4100 South.
“It was actually a very good PIT maneuver,” Lohrke said. “The car stopped, stalled, and we were able to take Mr. Rios-Morales into custody with no other incident.”
Braulio Rios-Morales, 39, has been booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of charges of DUI, felony fleeing from police, fleeing the scene of an accident and reckless driving.
