SALT LAKE CITY — A 48-year-old man has been arrested after police say he stole a Salt Lake City Police Department patrol car and later crashed it on Foothill Drive.
The incident began around 10:45 p.m. Friday when an SLCPD officer, who was at the Gail Miller Resource Center on 242 Paramount Avenue, exited the building to find his patrol car gone.
“The officer whose vehicle was stolen was supporting the Salt Lake City Fire Department on an unrelated call for service at the resource center,” read a press release Saturday from the SLCPD.
While trying to track down the location of the patrol vehicle, Salt Lake police were notified that the driver had lost control and crashed on Foothill Drive, near Interstate 80.
Our officers, with the assistance of @UTHighwayPatrol, arrested a 48-year-old man overnight who is accused of stealing one of our patrol cars and then crashing it within the span of 12 minutes. #SLC #SaltLakeCity #SLCPD #Utah
Press Release: https://t.co/QZNW14w7X0 pic.twitter.com/fRImR3dVMK
— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) December 25, 2021
Police said the suspect, identified as Stuart Wilson, initially refused to exit the patrol car. But after some time, SLCPD officers, with help from the Utah Highway Patrol, were able to take Wilson safely into custody.
“The preliminary investigation has shown the officer’s key fob, which locks the vehicle and keeps it running securely, malfunctioned after the officer locked the doors.”
Wilson was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail for investigation of multiple charges, including theft of services, drunkenness, theft of a vehicle, assault by a prisoner, criminal mischief, interfering with an arresting officer, disorderly conduct and not having a valid driver’s license.