This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated.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.
A man led police on a brief but violent high speed chase Thursday night in Magna before being shocked with a Taser and captured.
The chase began at 10:02 p.m. when a Unified Police officer pulled over a BMW on State Road 201 and noticed the smell of marijuana. The driver then took off and began "weaving all over the road," according to Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. The officer pursued the car, but the driver refused to stop.
The car soon left the freeway via the 9180 West exit and the driver tried to hit an officer who was preparing to spike the car's tires, Hoyal said. The driver also drove the car into a patrol vehicle before trying to flee on foot. Police finally shocked him with a Taser and arrested him.
The entire ordeal lasted about seven minutes, Hoyal added.
Hoyal described the suspect as a 55-year-old man who had been involved in another chase earlier in the week. He also reportedly had been "terrorizing a clerk" at a Conoco gas station in Taylorsville and had recently engaged in vandalism. Hoyal also said the BMW was stolen and the traffic stop was initiated because it had a couple of burned-out lights.
He was booked into jail on suspicion of an array of charges related to fleeing police, assault, drugs, traffic violations and other crimes.
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