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Man swaps old shoes for new pair then hits, injures employee while escaping in vehicle

Posted at 8:42 PM, Apr 04, 2015
and last updated 2015-04-04 22:42:13-04
The suspect in a theft and vehicle assault that occurred in Taylorsville April 4. Image courtesy Unified Police Department.

The suspect in a theft and vehicle assault that occurred in Taylorsville April 4. Image courtesy Unified Police Department.

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah – Police are seeking a man who struck a loss prevention officer with a vehicle during his flight from a store, where the suspect had allegedly  swapped his old sneakers for new shoes.

Lt. Justin Hoyal, Unified Police Department, said the suspect entered a Shopko in the area of 5800 South Redwood Road Saturday just before 1 p.m. and went to the shoe department–where he put on a pair of new shoes, left his old footwear in the shoe box and tried to leave the store.

A loss prevention officer chased the man to the parking lot, and when the suspect got inside a vehicle the other man put a shopping cart behind the car in an attempt to block the escape. The suspect backed up, striking the shopping cart and the loss prevention officer—who suffered a leg injury and was taken to a hospital.

The suspect is pictured above and described as being a white male who stands 5-feet 11-inches tall and weighs 165 pounds. The man has a medium build and was last seen wearing a gray sweatshirt and black sweatpants as well as a pair of stolen Nike shoes. The man had a tattoo on his neck.

Police said he was driving a 2005 Hyundai Elantra that was tan or gold in color and had Utah license plate A753HY. Police said a Hispanic woman with a heavy build was in the vehicle when the suspect fled but she didn’t ever leave the vehicle.

Anyone who sees the suspect or who can identify him is asked to call police at 801-743-7000.