NEPHI, Utah — A man was arrested Friday after a police pursuit that spanned three different counties in central Utah and possibly more than 100 miles.
It started around 12:30 p.m. when a license plate reader system in Nephi picked up the plates of a stolen Dodge Journey. Local officers found the SUV in the parking lot of a combination Flying J and Denny's just off Interstate 15, but the driver took off and fled "recklessly" through the parking lot before getting on the freeway, according to the police report.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper then began pursuing the vehicle southbound on I-15. It was measured at speeds of between 100-120 miles per hour and driving in the right-side emergency lane, according to the trooper, who eventually ended his pursuit when they came upon heavier traffic about 30 miles south of Nephi.
The trooper alerted others who were stationed further south, but they never saw the stolen SUV pass by, so they determined the driver had exited at Scipio and taken U.S. Highway 50 eastbound toward Sevier County.
Troopers later spotted the vehicle in Sevier County, and the pursuit resumed on I-70, heading back toward I-15. These troopers terminated their pursuit when it approached a construction zone. At that point, they said the driver made a U-turn in the median and tried to head east to avoid the construction. However, troopers said the driver saw them and immediately exited toward Cove Fort.
He then allegedly drove through the Cove Fort area at a high rate of speed. Another trooper began pursuing him and attempted a pit maneuver when the speed of the chase had slowed down enough, but the driver was able to continue fleeing.
The vehicle then got back onto I-15 and headed north. About 20 miles up the road, near Meadow, it was successfully spiked and the driver began to exit the freeway. A trooper performed a pit maneuver on the off-ramp, which brought the vehicle to a stop.
But it didn't end there.
Police said the driver, later identified as 46-year-old Edwin Hyung Cho, refused to exit the vehicle when ordered to do so. He then attempted to cover the windows and windshield, but officers at the scene said they could still see him and that he was "smoking what appeared to be a controlled substance."
After several hours, Cho finally got out of the vehicle and was taken into custody after officers fired a less-lethal shotgun through the rear windshield. UHP troopers also said "having a police K-9 on the scene" helped to get Cho out of the vehicle, although it was not stated what, if any, action the dog performed in the process.
Troopers said they found multiple glass pipes and pieces of burned tin foil in the vehicle, and the arrest report states that Cho "admitted he was smoking the rest of what he had before he was going to jail."
Law enforcement learned that Cho had an active warrant for his arrest out of the Salt Lake area for theft and drug-related charges. He was cleared by medical staff at the scene and was taken to the Juab County Jail in Nephi.
Cho faces five felony charges and six misdemeanors. These include multiple counts of failure to stop, receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, obstructing justice, driving under the influence, drug possession and use, reckless driving and endangerment, as well as two traffic infractions.
A judge ordered Cho to be held in jail without bail.
