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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police arrested a man Saturday evening after he led them on a pursuit and then crashed head-on into an occupied patrol vehicle.
It all began about 7:45 p.m. near the intersection of 6660 West and 3860 South. Officers were dispatched to the area after receiving a report of a suspicious vehicle driving slowly in the neighborhood, according to West Valley Police Lt. Amy Maurer.
A responding officer located a vehicle that matched the description of the suspicious car and attempted to pull the driver over. The driver did not stop and led the officer on what Mauer called a “short pursuit” down southbound 6670 West.
A second responding officer traveling the opposite direction on 6670 West stopped his patrol car in the middle of the road in an attempt to stop the suspicious vehicle.
The driver did not stop and crashed head-on into the occupied patrol car at what police estimate was 25-30 mph, Maurer said.
The officer inside the patrol car that was struck suffered minor injuries and was checked out by medical personnel at the scene.
Officers arrested Christopher Ritter, 30, after the crash and said they smelled alcohol on his breath, according to a probable cause statement. Officers also found an open container of alcohol in his car, the document stated.
Ritter was booked him into Salt Lake County Jail on investigation of driving under the influence, having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, failure to stop at command of law enforcement and aggravated assault targeting law enforcement with bodily injury among several other offenses. As of Sunday evening, no charges had been filed.
