Midvale police were called around 3:30 p.m. when the suspect, Christopher Espinoza, 38, tried to purchase several hundred dollars worth of merchandise from a furniture store near 7300 South 900 East, said Sgt. John Salazar. The store's clerk, concerned the check might be fraudulent, told Espinoza that it would be awhile before the furniture could be loaded. Espinoza left. When the furniture was ready, the clerk called the number on the check and spoke with a man who, as it turns out, was the victim of a recent burglary in Taylorsville.

Espinoza returned to the store to pick up the furniture about the same time the victim arrived. Espinoza left the store and the victim followed him in his car, giving police their location as they drove. A Midvale police officer stopped Espinoza in the Mervyn's parking lot near the intersection of Fort Union and Union Park boulevards, Salazar said. The officer handcuffed Espinoza, placed him in the back of the patrol car and turned his attention to the woman riding with Espinoza.

About two minutes later, as another Midvale officer arrived to assist, it was discovered that Espinoza had escaped the patrol car. Unable to predict how Espinoza would act as a fugitive, a manhunt was organized, Salazar said.

"It wasn't a serious offense if you're looking at violent versus nonviolent crime but once somebody escapes custody, then you're looking at a whole different animal," Salazar said.

A short time later, Espinoza was spotted in a parking structure a few blocks away. Officers set up a containment and used dogs to track him.

The search was called off around 6 p.m. with no Espinoza, Salazar said, but detectives know where he lives and are confident the fugitive will soon be in custody.

"He's not going to get far," the sergeant said.