This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two joyriders were arrested Tuesday morning after they allegedly drove through Cottonwood Heights leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.
A resident near 2600 East and 6500 South called police about 3 a.m. to report that people were driving through the neighborhood smashing mailboxes and parked cars with a baseball bat, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Corbett Ford.
An officer drove to the area and began to follow a suspicious truck when he saw one of the occupants smash a mailbox. When the officer turned on his lights to make a traffic stop, the truck sped off, Ford said.
The suspects were forced to abandon their truck at the terminus of a dead end street, and Murray and Unified police officers came to help search for the suspects, Ford said.
Police apprehended a female suspect near the scene. She was issued a citation for possession of drug paraphernalia, Ford said. About three hours later, police arrested the truck's owner after he tried to report the truck stolen.
"People feel like if the police didn't catch them at the scene that they're home free," Ford said, explaining that the female suspect had already told police that the truck had not been stolen.
Two male suspects who were also in the vehicle have not been apprehended, though police know who they are and are actively looking for them, Ford said.
Ford estimated the suspects, who were between 17 and 20 years old, destroyed $2,500 worth of property across four or five blocks. The vehicle's owner faces an additional charge for making a false police report, Ford said.
Twitter: @Harry_Stevens