SUMMIT COUNTY, Utah — Police arrested a man who fled from officers on foot Sunday morning, and a helicopter assisting the search effort spotted the man hiding in a ditch amid tall grass.
According to the Utah Highway Patrol, things began around 9:50 a.m. Sunday when a Summit County Sheriff’s deputy spotted a Pontiac G6 with Texas license plates, checked the registration and learned the vehicle had been reported stolen.
As he was waiting for the results of the registration check, the deputy lost sight of the vehicle. A Utah Highway Patrol trooper traveling westbound on I-80 near the Kimball Junction off-ramp saw the vehicle and began following it. The trooper did not activate lights or sirens but kept the vehicle in sight while waiting for additional units.
The Pontiac pulled into the Newpark Complex, a local shopping center, and parked in the lot. At that time the trooper activated his emergency lights and attempted to call the driver over at gunpoint.
The man initially complied with the trooper’s request, but then fled on foot. The trooper lost sight of the man as he ran through the shopping complex. Police from Summit County and Park City PD responded and set up a containment, and a helicopter was brought in to assist.
A short time after the helicopter arrived the crew located the suspect, who was hiding in a ditch surrounded by tall grass. Officers approached on foot and took the man into custody without further incident.
The suspect suffered minor injuries to his legs after he tripped while running, the press release states.
Zacharey Starkey, 25 of Kerens, Texas, was booked into the Summit County Jail. Police learned the man has multiple felony warrants out for his arrest for various weapons charges.
