Police K-9 subdues alleged car thief who led police on chase

Crime » Man arrested after brief standoff in Clearfield.

By Kimball Bennion

| The Salt Lake Tribune

First Published Jan 02 2013 04:44 pm • Last Updated Jan 03 2013 04:37 pm

An alleged car thief who led police on a pursuit from Layton to Clearfield was finally subdued by a police dog’s bite.

On New Year’s Day, the man allegedly hit two vehicles on Antelope Drive then drove away. No one was injured, but one driver gave police the suspect’s license plate number ­— a vehicle reported stolen in the Ogden area. A Layton police officer later found that vehicle near 1200 N. Main St. and chased the driver after he refused to stop.

As the chase began to speed up, police backed off the driver, who barrelled west down Gordon Avenue. Less than 20 minutes later, police saw the driver heading east on Antelope Drive. The suspect again refused to stop at officers’ commands and led police to Clearfield, where officers from that area joined in the chase. The suspect drove to the Oak Stone Apartments in Clearfield, where he abandoned the still-running vehicle and ran through a nearby field. When officers ordered the man to stop, he took out a realistic-looking BB gun and pointed it at his head, telling officers to shoot him, according to police.

Multiple officers held the man at gunpoint and asked him to drop the gun. The man finally got onto the ground after officers warned they would let one of their police dogs loose on him. Since the location of the man’s gun was still in question, officers released a dog, who bit the man’s arm. He was later treated at a nearby hospital and released.

The 39-year-old man was booked into the Davis County jail on suspicion of possessing a stolen vehicle, evading police, driving under the influence, refusing to stop at the command of police, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving. Police found evidence of drug use in the stolen vehicle and suspect the man may have been involved in other vehicle burglaries.

kbennion@sltrib.com

Twitter: @KimballBennion

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