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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police say they arrested a 33-year-old parole fugitive early Sunday morning after he drove away from a traffic stop and nearly ran over an officer before crashing into a building.
According to a news release from Salt Lake police, the detective was able to move away from the vehicle just in time to avoid being injured.
Officers pulled over a vehicle in the area of 950 W. 200 South at 1:29 a.m. When the officers made contact with the driver, they were provided with false information. The driver, who has been identified as Girato Kamilo Phillip, was asked to get out of the car. Instead, Phillip put his vehicle in drive and fled the scene, according to the news release.
A short time later, Phillip crashed his car into a building in the area of 161 S. Pueblo Street. The release states that most of the suspect's vehicle went into the building. Police say there were no injuries reported inside the building.
Police say Phillip and a passenger in the vehicle suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.
"Our officers are trained to maintain a constant focus of their surroundings," Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said in a news release. "Traffic stops can turn into dangerous situations very quickly. Keeping that awareness is essential to their safety. This case demonstrates the physical agility our officers must have, and maintain throughout their career, so that when safety is jeopardized, our officers can react to protect themselves and our community."
Phillip was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of failing to respond to an officer's signal to stop and aggravated assault. He was also booked for investigation of false information with the intent to be someone else; reckless driving; operating a vehicle without insurance and driving on a denied license.
