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SOUTH SALT LAKE — Police believe they have found the vehicle that hit two men, killing one of them, in South Salt Lake in March.
Now they are trying to determine who was driving it.
On March 9 about 11:50 p.m., Michael Corby Westover, 42, of Salt Lake City, and another man from Salt Lake City were crossing 3300 South in a crosswalk near Main Street when they were hit by a dark-colored Chevy Trailblazer. Both men were taken to a local hospital where Westover was pronounced dead and the other man was treated for critical injuries.
The SUV took off after the crash. But according to two recently unsealed search warrants in 3rd District Court, detectives have found the vehicle.
The warrants also reveal that another driver, who had his own personal dash-cam, recorded the crash.
"The light was red and you can see the vehicle braking. The light then turns green and the vehicle lets off the brake and continues east. You can see the two pedestrians are in the crosswalk crossing 3300 South on the west side of Main Street. The vehicle continues to travel east and strikes the two pedestrians. The vehicles’ brake lights come on for a brief moment then the vehicle accelerates. As the vehicle accelerates, you can see the vehicle bounce as it runs over the top of one of the pedestrians. The vehicle then speeds off and makes no attempt to stop," the investigating officer wrote in his warrant after viewing the video.
The crash resulted in several pieces of car debris being left on the road. Detectives used those car parts to determine the SUV was a Chevy Trailblazer, and based on the video, were able to determine the vehicle had an Arches Utah license plate, but the number was not clear, the warrant states.
On March 10, police searching the area found a 2004 black Chevrolet Trailbazer parked in the back of the LeVail Chateau Apartments, 3480 S. 300 East.
"The vehicle was (parked) in the very back of the parking lot next to the dumpster. It was parked hiding the front end," according to the warrant. "The vehicle had severe front end damage. I could see 'body slide' on the front hood of the vehicle. This is where one of the pedestrians slid up the hood. I could also see the body imprint from where the second pedestrian hit."
South Salt Lake police detective Gary Keller said the registered owner of the vehicle was tracked down and interviewed, but he is no longer considered a suspect.
Additional details about the ongoing investigation were not available Tuesday.
