Utah Teenager Steals Grandfather's Car, Speeds through Crowded Park

Amaury · Jun 2, 2014

Pretty interesting, I must say. I'm not exactly sure if the boy was actually eluding the police, though.

There's a video and there are photos in the linked source below.

Utah Teenager Steals Grandfather's Car, Speeds through Crowded Park

Source: New York Daily News

Published: June 2, 2014

The 14-year-old driver was trying to elude police when he sped through Founders Park in Syracuse — located about 30 miles north of Salt Lake City — on Saturday. But Byron Rowley, whose child was nearly struck by the car, managed to stop the teen by crashing into the car head on.

A Utah father heroically drove his truck into a car fleeing police — after the 14-year-old driver sped through a crowd of frantic children playing in a park during the chase, police said.

The wild ordeal unfolded after the unidentified teen’s grandfather reported his car stolen from his Duchesne County home just outside of Salt Lake City on Saturday, KTSU-TV reported.

A short time later, the car was spotted about 30 miles away in Syracuse.

But when cops tried to stop the car, the teen driver sped off, authorities said.

The car suddenly turned into Founders Park, where more than a dozen children were playing in the grass.

A witness recorded the frantic scene as children ran out of the way just as the car tore through the grass.

“My heart dropped,” one witness, Brandy Rowley, told the news station. “I honestly thought one of those kids is going to die.”

Police called off the chase out of concern for the safety of bystanders, but Rowley’s husband, Bryson, jumped into his pickup truck to help look for the crazed driver.

“The vehicle was being driven very recklessly, which was the reason Syracuse actually terminated,” Sgt. Susan Poulsen of the Davis County Sheriff’s Office told KSL-TV.

“He was all over the place and so we definitely want to make sure the public has the least amount of risk possible when we are dealing with these types of situations.”

A few minutes later, police saw the stolen car on a nearby street and tried to pull it over — but the teen peeled away again.

But Bryson Rowley raced towards the car when he saw the teen turn back towards the crowded park.

The off-duty police officer managed to slam into the car head on before the teen could.

"He actually pulled his truck in the way so the car collided with the truck," Officer Erin Behm with the Syracuse Police Department told the local Fox affiliate.

The boy was taken into custody at the scene and placed in a nearby juvenile detention center.

No criminal charges were immediately filed.
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Utah Teenager Steals Grandfather's Car, Speeds through Crowded Park

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