TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — A man was arrested after crashing into a bus, a car and a pedestrian Friday afternoon in Taylorsville, according to police.
A West Valley City Police officer was in Taylorsville at the time of the first crash and said he witnessed a Dodge Ram pickup truck rear-end a Utah Transit Authority bus at 4700 S. Redwood Road.
The driver then fled the scene by driving onto the sidewalk and heading west on Redwood. The officer followed the truck and said the driver accelerated and crashed into the back of a Nissan sedan near 2200 West. The officer, who said he was waiting for backup, then turned on his lights and siren after the second crash and attempted to pull the truck over. The driver then allegedly tried to escape by running over curbs and driving through shrubs, then eventually stopped in the parking lot of a Ream's store. Police said they ordered the driver to get out of the truck, but he did not comply and had to be pulled out.
Police said they later received a report of a pedestrian being hit by a truck that matched the same description and fleeing the scene. The pedestrian said they were hit by the truck's mirror when the driver went on the sidewalk near 4000 S. Redwood Road. Police said the victim suffered minor injuries and was not taken to a hospital.
The driver, later identified as 18-year-old Kaleb James Evans-Cook, was arrested for failure to respond to an officer's signal to stop, two counts of failure to remain at the scene of an accident, and driving under the influence. Police said there were open containers of alcohol in the truck and that Evans-Cook showed signs of impairment. He did not consent to a blood draw, so a warrant was issued for one.
UTA spokesman Carl Arky told FOX 13 News previously that no passengers on the bus were injured.
It was not stated whether anyone in the Nissan allegedly hit by Evans-Cook was injured, but the alleged "failure to remain" offenses he was booked for included the addendum "damage only."
