Park City man accused of driving through barricades, telling officer to ticket him
Feb 6, 2020, 6:40 PM
(Stock Photo)
(Stock Photo)
PARK CITY – We all get frustrated at traffic restrictions, but the Park City Police Department says you should never do what one man reportedly did on Main Street. They say he put himself and an officer in danger when he drove through a restricted area.
Officers say this started after a dump truck hit a power pole near the top of Main Street. Crews had to make major repairs on the pole and police were on the scene to keep people away from danger.
“It was pretty dangerous. This power pole was ready to topple over and those power lines can be deadly,” says Park City Police Captain Phil Kirk.
Just before 8 p.m. Wednesday night, the officer claims he saw a sedan turn around in the middle of the intersection, then go the wrong way down a one-way road. A police affidavit says the driver then passed the officer doing traffic control.
When the officer approached, the driver reportedly said he lived in the restricted area and had to get home, then asked if he was going to get a ticket. The affidavit says when the officer said he was going to cite the man, he yelled, “Go ahead,” then sped off. The officer reportedly had to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the back of the car.
“He went past the police officer, moved some barricades and drove up Daly Avenue and out of sight of the officer,” Kirk says.
The 67-year-old man was arrested at his home later that night. Police were able to track him down thanks to a partial plate number seen through the patrol car’s dash cam. He was booked into jail on suspicion of reckless endangerment, failing to stop at the command of an officer, failing to obey a barricade and going the wrong way on a one-way street.
Kirk says the driver had no idea what kind of dangers were ahead of him when he chose to drive through the restricted area.
“He endangered himself, the officer, the utility worker and other individuals in the area that might have been thinking the roads were shut down, which they were.”
