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RICH COUNTY — Police arrested a driver early Thursday morning after he allegedly fled from troopers and was driving erratically in Cache and Rich counties. A SWAT team later deployed gas before arresting the driver.
Around 9:10 p.m. Wednesday, dispatchers received a call that a gray Mercedes van with Nevada plates was driving erratically along U.S. Highway 89/91 near Wellsville, and the driver had been flashing his lights while traveling behind the caller, according to a news release from the Utah Department of Public Safety.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper later found the vehicle on U.S. Highway 91 near Smithfield, and despite the trooper trying to pull over the van, including turning on its flashing lights, the van allegedly failed to yield and continued driving north. The trooper didn't pursue the van, but followed the van at a distance, the news release states.
The van later made a U-turn near the south end of Richmond and started heading south. The trooper again tried to pull over the van, but the van again did not stop, troopers said. The van made another U-turn, and the trooper stopped pursuing the van when it reached Smithfield.
Troopers and local police continued to watch the van as it drove south into Logan, and the van allegedly ran every red light along the way, the news release says. Police lost sight of the van before another driver reported the van for driving recklessly, heading north into Logan Canyon.
Sheriff's deputies in Rich County set up spike strips near the county line. The van hit the spikes but continued to drive away, the news release said. A trooper later hit the van and stopped it using a PIT maneuver.
"The vehicle was in a bad spot and driver would not comply with officers commands," the news release said. Both directions of the road were closed during the incident.
A SWAT team was called to the scene, and the team deployed tear gas in order to bring the driver into custody. The UHP release says the driver was a 31-year-old man, and he was arrested around 2:45 a.m. Thursday. UHP did not name the man in the news release.
Photos provided by UHP appear to show at least one trooper's vehicle was damaged during the incident. No injuries were disclosed in the news release.
