This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
James T. Carey wasn't going back to prison without a fight.
About 24 hours after police suspect Carey allegedly robbed a Millcreek bank, the federal parolee was fleeing from officers Tuesday afternoon through Salt Lake County at speeds of up to 80 mph. The police eventually caught up to him in Taylorsville, spiked his tires and crashed into his car, but even then he kept struggling, and had to be shocked with a Taser and bitten by a police dog before officers could arrest him.
"He had made threats to law enforcement that he was not going back to prison," said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. "He is."
Carey robbed five Utah banks in a week in July 2004, according to court documents. A federal judge sentenced him to about eight years in prison, and he's been on probation since his release last year.
Just before 2 p.m. on Monday, the 39-year-old suspect allegedly held up a Chase Bank at 1306 E. 3180 South, police said. Witnesses told police the man showed the teller a note demanding money, as well as a handgun from his backpack. The teller handed over an undisclosed amount of cash and he left, police said.
Not long after, someone tipped the police about who the robber was, Hoyal said. The investigation led them to the Studio 6 motel at 975 E. 6600 South in Murray.
A team of detectives waited outside. About 3:45 p.m. on Monday, Carey came out, but a citizen was outside, too, and the detectives didn't feel they could approach a suspected bank robber who was considered armed and dangerous without putting the citizen at risk, Hoyal said.
They waited until he left in his Nissan Altima to pull him over and make the arrest, but he fled.
Police chased Carey through Murray, into Midvale and onto Interstate 15, Hoyal said. He was driving at 50 mph, on average, though the chase reached two extremes — at some point he was going 80 mph, and at another he slowed down for a school zone, Hoyal said.
All the while, the suspected robber was tossing money out of the car, Hoyal added.
From I-15 he got onto Interstate 215, and as he exited into Taylorsville, an officer spiked his tires and a Utah Highway Patrol trooper performed a PIT maneuver, crashing into the suspect's Altima to bring him to a stop.
Fifteen minutes after it started, police brought the chase to an end at 5600 S. Redwood Road, but the Taser was deployed and the dog bit him as he continued to struggle, Hoyal said. He was taken to the hospital before police booked him into Salt Lake County Jail.
No one else was hurt, Hoyal said. Investigators found a handgun on the front seat of the Altima.
Police recovered as much of the money as they could, but UPD is asking that anyone who may have picked up the cash to turn it in to police. The money is stolen property, Hoyal said.
mmcfall@sltrib.com Twitter: @mikeypanda