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BLUFFDALE — A wanted felon was arrested late Sunday after police say he led them on a wild chase.
An officer from the Utah Bail Enforcement Agency requested assistance from Bluffdale police after spotting Jerome Perez, 41, near 14600 South and 790 West, according to a police affidavit.
As officers attempted to approach Perez, he drove off, the affidavit states.
“I initiated my overhead lights, red and blue, and attempted to stop the vehicle as it was approaching me head-on,” an officer wrote. “The Cadillac stopped for a second and then went around me, accelerating urgently.”
Perez drove into an adjacent parking lot that was a dead end.
“The Cadillac noticing it was a dead-end drove off a 3- to 4-foot rock retaining wall, causing the Cadillac to nose dive and hit the front bumper. The Cadillac was able to get off the rock wall and accelerate. As it was accelerating, I attempted to block the vehicle from getting on the main road, 14600 South,” the officer wrote.
Perez hit the police car as he drove past the officer, according to the affidavit. Police say he then drove over 100 mph in a 45 mph zone along 14600 South as officers pursued.
Police stopped chasing Perez once he got onto I-15. He was later arrested at a local hospital.
Court records show Perez has a lengthy criminal history, and had an outstanding warrant on charges of theft and vehicle burglary.
