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HEBER — Two individuals were arrested Friday after leading authorities on a high-speed police chase in a stolen vehicle in Wasatch County. No injuries were reported in the incident.
Brandon Allen Rautanen, 21, and Maryah Lynn King, 22, were arrested and booked into Wasatch County Jail in connection to the incident.
The vehicle was allegedly stolen out of Salt Lake County and Wasatch County Sheriff’s deputies first responded to the incident about 11:47 a.m., according to Lt. Ken Purdy.
Rautanen drove the vehicle northbound on U.S. 189 and reached speeds upwards of 110 mph, Purdy said.
Heber City police also responded to the incident and Purdy said the two agencies worked together “flawlessly” to end the chase.
The owner of the stolen vehicle had a tracker on it which helped authorities locate it throughout the chase.
Heber police officers tried to spike the driver’s tires early on in the pursuit and the car swerved toward an officer to avoid them, Purdy said.
At one point, authorities ended the pursuit because it came dangerously close to a residential area near Wasatch High School.
The high school along with Timpanogos Intermediate School and Old Mill Elementary School were placed on precautionary lockdown for about a half-hour during the ordeal, Purdy said. There was never a direct threat to the schools, he added.
Authorities were able to successfully spike the tires on the second try but Rautanen kept driving on the four rims for a few miles, Purdy said.
Rautanen also allegedly rammed into two law enforcement vehicles and hit an unoccupied parked car.
The chase ended when authorities successfully used a pursuit intervention technique that stopped the vehicle.
Rautanen and King were then arrested without incident and had been booked into jail by about 12:30 p.m.
Authorities found controlled substances in the vehicle, Purdy said.
The stolen vehicle was totaled and Purdy estimated the entire incident likely caused several thousand dollars in damages.
“I think we did a really good job minimizing the risk to the public,” Purdy noted. “The safety of the public is 100% priority.”
