This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man crashed a stolen classic car during a police chase in South Salt Lake on Monday afternoon.
An officer at 3200 South and State Street saw the Chevrolet Chevelle turn northbound onto State Street at a high speed, nearly hitting another car around 3 p.m., said South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller.
The officer followed the car into the parking lot of Auto Mart, 3081 S. State St., and turned on his emergency lights for a traffic stop.
The driver threw the Chevelle into reverse, glancing off the patrol car and hitting a used car in the lot, Keller said.
The driver went to another parking lot, where the driver nearly hit another officer who was walking toward his patrol car, Keller said.
The driver led police on a chase to 200 East and then to 3300 South, where the driver turned east and accelerated quickly, Keller said.
Police called off the chase near 700 East, just as the driver veered into oncoming traffic to avoid a lane reduction and collided with two cars.
The Chevelle spun out, and the driver ran away. Officers caught him at 800 East.
The Chevelle had been stolen out of Naples, Keller said. Inside the car, officers found multiple guns, including a shotgun. The driver had at least two felony warrants out for his arrest, Keller said.
"This could have turned really bad," Keller said.