Update: Suspect in crash now in custody after search between Nephi, Scipio
Jul 3, 2021, 5:16 PM | Updated: Jul 4, 2021, 8:53 am
Santaquin police say a 5-year-old is dead after an accidental, self-inflicted gunshot wound. (Utah Highway Patrol)
(Utah Highway Patrol)
Utah Highway Patrol troopers said Saturday the suspect they searched for after a crash on northbound I-15 near Yuba State Park, between Nephi and Scipio, is now in custody.
UHP offered few other details about the arrest, the man’s identity, or whether he may be charged with a crime.
This is a breaking update; the original story follows.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol is searching for a man in the area between Nephi and Scipio, Utah, who may be hitchhiking. On Saturday afternoon the agency tweeted this warning:
We are actively searching for a man in the area between Nephi and Scipio, possibly hitch hiking in the area. If you see a male with long black hair, grey/blue pants, without a shirt do not pick him up, please call 911. https://t.co/axqw0FUy6T
— Utah Highway Patrol (@UTHighwayPatrol) July 3, 2021
The man described in the above tweet was reportedly involved in a crash on northbound I-15 near Yuba State Park at mile marker 194.5. The crash happened at 7 a.m.
According to a statement released by the Utah Department of Public Safety (DPS), the two drivers involved in the crash spoke to each other. But one of the drivers wound up leaving the scene in the rental vehicle he was driving. The other driver then called 911.
Not long after that phone call, UHP Trooper Harris located and attempted to stop the vehicle. At that point, the suspect fled.
The driver didn’t get far, said the DPS statement, because of the damage done to the car in the initial accident. The driver reportedly left the car in the median, and then ran on foot into the foothills to the west of the freeway.
By that time other agencies had responded and a perimeter was established. But despite being tracked by K9 officers, and following the suspect’s footprints for several miles, the tracks were lost in what the DPS described as a marshy area.
“The individual is described as a male with long black hair, wearing grey or black pants without a shirt,” a UHP tweet read.
UHP Corporal Tara Wahlberg told KSL that, as far as they know, the suspect is not armed.
The search for this man continues.
