This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A stolen car, a high-speed chase and foot pursuit, and the snapping of a police dog's jaws ended with the jailing of two known gang members, West Valley City police say.
Officers spotted the two, both 36 years old, in a Lexus SUV about 11 p.m. Wednesday. The vehicle came back as stolen when checked. A traffic stop was attempted, but the suspects sped away.
Eventually, Utah Highway Patrol, Unified Police and Salt Lake City officers joined in efforts to contain and follow the suspects. When road spikes eventually rendered the SUV undriveable, the pair fled on foot near 2100 S. Redwood Road.
WVCPD spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said a K-9 unit located the pair hiding behind a nearby business. One suspect surrendered, but the other was bitten when he tried to fight off the dog. He was treated for bites at the hospital before joining his co-defendant in the Salt Lake County jail.
According to a jail probable cause statement, police found two handguns, several knives and drugs in a bag one of the suspects carried when he abandoned the SUV.
The two were being held Thursday on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, vehicle theft, failure to stop at the commands of police, possession of dangerous weapons by a restricted person, and drug possession.
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