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Juvenile runaways from Provo treatment facility lead police on high-speed chase in stolen car

Posted at 5:18 PM, Jan 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-01-19 08:52:06-05

UTAH COUNTY — Police say three juveniles who ran away from a treatment facility in Provo stole a car and led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a crash in Spanish Fork Canyon Tuesday night.

According to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, police attempted to make a traffic stop near Center and Main streets in Spanish Fork around 10:40 p.m. Tuesday.

The suspects fled and a pursuit ensued that went down Center Street and continued onto SR-6 and into Spanish Fork Canyon. The suspects fled at speeds in excess of 110 mph.

Police say the suspects drove into oncoming traffic during the pursuit and eventually lost control and crashed the vehicle near mile marker 186 on SR-6.

Two teens, ages 16 and 17, fled the scene on foot while a 13-year-old remained in the car. The other two juveniles were taken into custody about 30 minutes later after officers using infrared located them on the hillside.

Police later determined the three juveniles were reported as runaways from a residential treatment facility in Provo around 8 p.m. Tuesday night. The boys told police they stole the car from a parking lot in an industrial complex west of Geneva Road in Orem.

The owner of the car, who was working at the time, didn’t know his car had been stolen until police contacted him. The vehicle is considered a total loss.

Police say the 16-year-old initially stole the car but later switched places so that the 17-year-old was driving during the chase. Police say the teens planned to drive to Las Vegas.

Authorities say the 13-year-old boy didn’t want to be involved in the car theft or the chase, and they said the teen tried to stop the older boys.

The older boys were treated at a hospital for injuries they suffered while tumbling down an embankment after the crash, and afterward they were booked into a detention center.

The 13-year-old was returned to the residential treatment facility.