Driver dies after Taylorsville police tried to stop stolen car, which slammed into pole

A man died early Thursday after police punctured the tires of a stolen car that he was driving, which crashed into a utility pole.

According to Taylorsville police, officers spotted a stolen car shortly before midnight on Wednesday. When they attempted to stop the car, the driver sped away and, at one point, was driving the wrong way on Redwood Road. Officers did not pursue, but called for help from other police departments.

A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter was dispatched and followed the stolen car. Officers in the helicopter alerted police on the ground to its location, who deployed two sets of tire-deflation devices in the area of 4100 South and 1300 West.

The stolen car slowed after running over the devices, which are meant to puncture a vehicle’s tires. But the vehicle continued on, according to police.

Shortly after midnight, the driver ran off the road at a curve on Atherton Drive (4370 South) and crashed into a large utility pole near 1200 West. Both the driver and a passenger in the car were taken to a hospital, where the driver later died.

Taylorsville police identified the driver as Jeremy Arthur Lettow, 40.

The Taylorsville Police Department called in the critical incident protocol team to investigate the death and the actions of officers. The Unified Police Department will lead the investigation.