Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Two girls accepted a ride from a stranger and ended up in the middle of a chase with police. It happened earlier this week, and it turns out the car didn't belong to its driver.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper first spotted the car Wednesday afternoon going east on I-215. When the trooper ran the plate, he discovered the car was stolen. He called for backup, then tried to pull it over.
The driver, however, had no intention of stopping. He got off the freeway on the Union Park exit and made a few turns. He ended up in a parking lot of a Sweet Tomatoes restaurant. When he realized he had nowhere to go, he ditched the car and fled on foot.
The two girls were still inside the vehicle. "The story that they gave us, which seems to be true, is that they were at a bus stop waiting for a bus and this individual pulled up and asked them for a ride. One of the girls was trying to get to work and was running a little late for work, so they accepted the ride," explained UHP Sgt. Larry Mower.
She was probably late for work anyway, because the girls were then taken and interviewed by investigators.
Meanwhile, witnesses saw the suspect run into a building in the area of 7300 South and Union Park Avenue. Troopers brought in two police dogs, who found the suspect hiding in a furnace room on the first floor. They arrested 25-year-old Emilio Monti.
Monti was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for having a stolen vehicle and fleeing from police.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
