This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
An Ogden man was hospitalized in critical condition Saturday after the SUV he was riding in rolled on State Road 201 during what police say was a road rage incident.
Witnesses saw the sport utility vehicle and a BMW car chasing each other and swerving across the highway's eastbound traffic lanes about 5 p.m., just before the crash, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jacob Cox said.
Investigators have labeled the incident road rage because witnesses said they saw the drivers of both cars arguing or shouting at each other while stopped at red light on SR-201 and 8000 West, Cox said.
The SUV then pulled ahead of the BMW and tapped its brakes, triggering a chase.
As the cars wove through traffic, the driver of the SUV, 30-year-old Brandon Atkinson, of West Valley City, lost control of the vehicle near 6800 West and rolled, Cox said.
One passenger, Jared Hansen, 30, of Ogden, was ejected from the vehicle. He was not wearing a seat belt, and was transported by medical helicopter to University Hospital in "extremely critical condition," Cox said.
Atkinson was arrested on suspicion of DUI and other charges, after drugs and drug paraphernalia was found in the car, he said.
Atkinson and a second passenger, Thomas Evans, 28, of Salt Lake City, suffered minor injuries. Neither was cooperating with investigators on Saturday, Cox said.
The driver of the BMW fled the scene. Investigators are using witnesses statements and video of the incident taken by someone in a nearby vehicle to try and locate the car and its driver, Cox said.