- Utah Highway Patrol investigated two road-rage incidents, arresting three drivers on Monday.
- Two men, ages 28 and 77, were arrested in Vernal for investigation of reckless driving and assault.
- In Salt Lake City, a driver was arrested for investigation of reckless driving and DUI.
SALT LAKE CITY — A pair of road-rage investigations kept Utah Highway Patrol troopers busy on Monday.
In Vernal, two drivers were arrested after both kept going after each other, according to the UHP.
Just before 1 p.m., troopers were called to investigate an incident involving two vehicles on state Route 40 near Myton, Duchesne County. One driver claimed the other "was brake checking him, was illegally passing him, had attempted to assault the driver when they stopped, and had crashed into his vehicle multiple times," a police booking affidavit states.
A responding trooper spotted the vehicles speeding down the road and one almost hitting the other, the affidavit states. The trooper pulled both vehicles over. One driver, who was in a Subaru SUV, claimed he had passed the other vehicle and the driver hit him.
"Considering they had traveled approximately 5 miles from where the accident originally occurred and the aggressive driving behavior I witnessed, I believed there were parts of the story he was purposefully omitting," the trooper wrote in the affidavit.
The other driver, who was in a pickup truck, told troopers that the Subaru "passed them on a double yellow (line) then cut them off. The driver of the truck stated he passed the Subaru near Myton. Once in Myton, the Subaru passed the truck again in a 'no passing' zone and brake checked them. The truck struck the rear of the Subaru. He stated they pulled off the side of the road and the Subaru brake checked them again, causing the truck to strike the rear of the Subaru again," according to the affidavit.
The two men then stopped and one driver claimed the other attempted to assault him, the affidavit says. The Subaru driver then got back into his vehicle, "and struck the truck in the rear" before driving off.
During their investigation, troopers also talked to a third person who witnessed the incident.
"Considering the totality of the circumstances including the driving pattern I observed, the collective statements from both parties and the witness, and the damage to both vehicles, I believe both parties were driving recklessly, driving while road raging, and had operated their vehicles in a manner that were deliberate acts which created a substantial risk of injury to both parties as well as the public. I placed both individuals under arrest. Both vehicles were impounded," the trooper wrote in the affidavit.
A 28-year-old man and a 77-year-old man were each arrested for investigation of reckless driving, assault, unlawful passing and following another vehicle too closely. All the counts come with road rage penalty enhancements if convicted.
In a separate incident several hours later in Salt Lake City, troopers arrested a 34-year-old driver for investigation of reckless driving and DUI after the man allegedly engaged in a road-rage confrontation with another driver and ended up crashing into a canal.
About 9:20 p.m., troopers were called to state Route 201 near 8200 West, where a Toyota pickup truck had gone off the road into the canal.
The driver of a Ford Bronco told troopers that the man driving the pickup "was driving recklessly by driving at a high rate of speed, cutting other drivers off and following too closely," a police booking affidavit states. The pickup got right behind the Bronco and attempted to pass right where the road merged into one lane.
"The white Toyota pickup subsequently ran out of room and ran into the shoulder, dirt area on the left side of the highway when the lane ended. The white Toyota pickup subsequently cut in front of the Bronco, striking the Bronco's front bumper. This caused the white Toyota pickup truck to go sideways out of control, and it drove to the right side of the highway. The Toyota pickup then drove through a break in the guard rail, down over the embankment and into a canal," according to the affidavit.
The driver of the pickup was checked out at a local hospital before being arrested. A trooper noted that "while speaking with (the driver) I observed indicators of impairment and smelled an odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath," the affidavit states. The man claimed he had not been drinking but "ultimately refused twice to do the standardized field sobriety tests." A friend also told troopers that the man "was drinking earlier in the day."
