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Prosecutors have filed multiple felony charges against a West Jordan man who allegedly watched a teen driver crash into a fence and then chased the boy down and attacked him last fall.
Documents filed in 3rd District Court charge Malcolm Wayne Mcelyea, 51, with four counts of third-degree felony aggravated assault, and misdemeanor counts of child abuse, giving false information to a police officer, reckless driving and driving without a vehicle registration.
Salt Lake County prosecutors say the teen driver — a 16-year-old boy — was speeding on Sept. 26, 2015, when he crashed a borrowed sport utility vehicle and crashed into fence in the 8200 block of S. Galilee Way (1210 West), knocking it down.
The boy and his 18-year-old passenger fled the scene, later telling police he wanted to avoid getting in trouble.
Charging documents say Mcelyea witnessed the crash, followed the teen in his Jeep and then rammed the SUV to try to stop it, That caused a second crash and sent the SUV airborne.
The two teens then fled on foot, but Mcelyea gave chase, caught the young driver and began to hit and head-butt him, court papers say.
Investigators say Mcelyea initially claimed that the teen driver had clipped his vehicle and that one of the young men had flashed a gun at him. A cell phone video taken by the teen driver's passenger, however, showed the SUV had not hit Mcelyea's car and no gun was found in the teen's car, a probable cause statement shows.
The accident investigation found Mcelyea had hit the teen's car at least four times before the second crash, according to court papers.
Court records show a judge on Wednesday issued a warrant for Mcelyea's arrest, but no hearings are set in the case.