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HEBER CITY — A man who claimed he was an FBI agent and on his way to the airport to see Russian leader Vladimir Putin before carjacking a vehicle, according to police, has been arrested.
Luke Dennis Menders, 30, of Park City, was arrested Sunday for investigation of aggravated robbery, impersonating an officer, aggravated assault, theft of a vehicle and driving on a denied license.
Menders approached a man at a 7-Eleven, 215 N. Main, Heber City, and demanded his car keys, according to Heber police.
"The victim stated that Luke identified himself several times as a member of the FBI. When the victim refused to give his vehicle to Luke, Luke forcibly took the keys from the victim," according to a Wasatch County Jail report.
The car owner chased Menders into the parking lot.
"The victim told Luke he wasn't going to allow him to steal his vehicle and stood behind the vehicle to stop Luke. The victim stated that Luke put the vehicle in reverse and the victim believed that he was going to be run over if he didn't jump out of the way," the report states.
After Menders drove off in the Honda CR-V, a Heber City police officer spotted the vehicle and began to follow.
"I followed the vehicle westbound on Highway 189 toward Provo until other law enforcement personnel were close enough to assist," the officer wrote in the report.
Menders was pulled over and arrested. While being taken into custody, "Luke was rambling about working for the FBI and that he was on his way to the airport to go to Russia to 'meet with Putin,'" according to the report. "Luke stated that the people he was talking to (Luke talked throughout my encounter with people who weren't present) told him to 'commandeer' a vehicle."
Menders claimed voices in his head told him to pull over when police approached him because "he hadn't passed his last FBI test yet," the report states.
"Luke is still very much convinced that he needs to take any measure necessary to reach Russia. Luke is convinced that whatever actions he take is reasonable and necessary," the officer wrote in his report.
Menders has a lengthy criminal history including several recent arrests. In June, he was arrested after he took several drugs and began hallucinating, according to another jail report.
"Luke did not know where he was, what day of the week it was or the current year. Menders got into the back of an ambulance and said he thought the ambulance was his ride home," the report states.
In May, he was arrested for investigation of a domestic violence related event when police say he slashed the tires of his girlfriend's car when she refused to give him a ride to work, a jail report states.
