ST. GEORGE — One teen is in custody and three juvenile accomplices suspected of burglarizing vehicles are still at large following two pursuits with officers in Washington City early Thursday that left a patrol vehicle damaged.
Shortly after 1 a.m., officers were dispatched to the Bella Vista Drive area in Washington City on a suspicious persons call involving several individuals that the 911 caller said appeared to be checking vehicle doors to see if they were unlocked.
Washington City Police Lt. Kory Klotz told St. George News that officers arrived to find two vehicles, a white Ford F-150 and a gold Toyota Prius, stopped in the middle of Bella Vista Drive. Each was facing in the opposite direction, he said, so the driver’s side window on each of the vehicles lined up.
When the occupants spotted police, both vehicles took off. The Ford with three hooded occupants wearing all black headed toward Telegraph Street, where they blew past two Washington City patrol units at a high rate of speed. The Prius headed south towards the roundabout at the end of the street, where a patrol unit was blocking the road to stop the fleeing suspects.
Police said the Prius entered the roundabout and struck the rear portion of the patrol vehicle, ripping a hole in the bed of the patrol pickup as they did so. The suspects continued south along Bella Vista, where their vehicle went off the roadway and stopped. As the two officers approached, the suspects jumped out of the car and ran east on foot.
Following a short foot pursuit, Klotz said, officers caught up to the driver, a 15-year-old male. He was apprehended by police, while two of the other suspects ran off.
During a search of the suspect’s vehicle, officers said they found items taken from other vehicles, including a handgun and other valuables — property that was later returned to the rightful owners.
Officers also canvassed the area in search of the Ford that fled north past Telegraph onto North Cottonmill Avenue. Shortly thereafter, officers located the truck that appeared to have been abandoned after crashing into a large boulder before coming to rest in the front yard of a residence. The suspects were already gone by the time the truck was located.
In the meantime, deputies with the Washington County Sheriff’s Department were called out to conduct an investigation into the crash involving the patrol pickup that was struck by the suspects during the pursuit. Such an investigation is standard, Klotz said, anytime a law enforcement vehicle is involved in a crash to ensure the investigation is handled by an outside agency.
There were four suspects in total, Klotz said, and all appeared to be juveniles with three still at large. Because they were minors, neither the name of the suspect arrested or the at-large accomplices is being released.
Klotz said all four were dressed in black clothing to “hide in the night” and were wearing black face masks, gloves and carrying backpacks — gear that is typically worn by those that are “up to no good,” he added.
Klotz went on to say this was not the first report involving these same juvenile suspects, and while the incident on Thursday involved two pursuits and two crashes, there have been many recent reports of cars being burglarized and officers suspect it is the same group of juveniles that are hitting several areas in Washington City.
“These kids are not in school — they are just out causing problems,” he said.
He went on to say the group may be young, but they are organized and can hit multiple cars each night from about 11 p.m., until the early morning hours. They have been seen walking up and down the street checking vehicle door handles. Once inside the car, they take any valuables they can find. If the keys are left in the vehicle, they take that too.
At this point, Klotz said, these crimes go beyond taking valuables because they affect public safety as well.
These suspects only burglarize the vehicles that are left unlocked. In fact, he said, there has not been a single report of a vehicle burglary in the area that involved a locked vehicle.
With that in mind, he said the best thing the public can do to avoid becoming a victim of this type of crime is to lock their vehicles and keep them locked and remove any valuables from the car.
There are still at least three suspects that remain at large and the investigation is ongoing. Anyone who may have information that can assist in the investigation is asked to call the Washington City Police Department at 435-986-1515.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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