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SOUTH JORDAN — A man who apparently had a psychotic episode while his mental health was being evaluated at a clinic has been arrested and accused of carjacking a vehicle, running over a security guard and then crashing after driving the wrong way.
Devin Mackenzie Myers, 34, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping; first-degree felonies; aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, a second-degree felony; failing to remain at the scene of a crash, a third-degree felony; and reckless driving and assault, class B misdemeanors.
On Sunday, Myers was taken to the South Jordan University of Utah Health Center, 5126 W. Daybreak Parkway, by family members for a mental health evaluation "due to psychotic episodes," according to a police booking affidavit.
During the meeting, "Devin had become agitated and eventually started physically resisting hospital staff, family members, and a hospital security guard," the affidavit states.
Just before 4 p.m., Myers ran out of the clinic and into the road. A security guard ran after him. Myers ran to the parking lot of a nearby convenience store where police say a pickup truck was left running with a passenger inside.
Myers started to open the driver's side door as the security guard and a family member of the vehicle owner tried to stop him. Myers hit the family member with his elbow, causing the victim to fall backward, according to the affidavit.
"Devin then entered the vehicle while the hospital security guard was still attempting to prevent him from leaving. As the (pickup) left the parking lot, the guard was hanging onto it through an open driver's side door," the affidavit states.
Another person attempted to stop Myers by standing in front of the vehicle but was bumped by the pickup as it drove off, according to the affidavit. That person did not sustain serious injuries.
Myers then started driving the wrong way on Daybreak Parkway, police say.
"As the vehicle continued westbound in the wrong direction of travel, the security guard was thrown from the vehicle onto the roadway and ended up underneath the vehicle where he was possibly run over. The security guard sustained serious bodily injuries to his chest and torso, including broken ribs and a collapsed lung, and required a medical helicopter for transport. Currently, the security guard is sedated with a breathing tube and chest tube in an intensive care unit," the affidavit states.
As the vehicle continued moving, a passenger in the back seat climbed into the front and began fighting with Myers.
"The passenger had grabbed the steering wheel and attempted to step on the brake while Devin was continuing to physically assault him with strikes to the chest. The passenger was able to eventually hit the brakes as Devin drove against a red light into the intersection of Daybreak Parkway and Mountain View Highway, where the vehicle collided with a northbound Dodge Caravan," according to the affidavit.
After the crash, Myers ran onto the top of another vehicle and told the driver to take off, the affidavit states. Police arrived on scene at that point and were able to take him into custody. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment.
Correction: Myers was taken to a local hospital after being arrested. A booking affidavit was filed at the jail, but Myers had not been physically booked into jail as of Tuesday. An earlier version stated otherwise.
