15-year-old boy fleeing from police hits, kills Utah man standing on porch

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (KSL.com) — A 15-year-old boy remained hospitalized Friday morning after police say he fled from police in a stolen car and crashed into a house, killing a 24-year-old man standing on the porch.

The victim, whose name had not been released as of Friday morning, was delivering food to an elderly woman in his neighborhood in an effort to take care of her when he was hit, the man’s family told police.

On Thursday, just after 7 p.m., a West Valley City police officer in an unmarked vehicle spotted a stolen car at 3100 S. Redwood Road, West Valley City police said.

Police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said the officer did not initiate a pursuit but followed the stolen vehicle as it turned into a neighborhood. As backup officers converged on the area, they waited until the car stopped near Lehi Drive and Beaver Street and three teens got out. The two passengers ran as police moved in. They were captured by officers, Vainuku said.

The driver, however, got back into the vehicle and sped away. Although police did not chase after him, an officer down the road threw spike strips onto the road in an attempt to stop the boy, Vainuku said.

“As the suspect fled, he hit a police vehicle as well as the spike strips,” police stated. But the teen driver “did not stop and fled from the scene at a high rate of speed.”

A few hundred yards later, the boy lost control of the vehicle, went through two yards and hit a 24-year-old man standing outside, killing him, according to police.

“The suspect vehicle also crashed through the front of a home causing heavy damage and continued on into the next yard where it hit two more vehicles,” according to police.

At that point, the 15-year-old driver got out and laid down on the ground. The boy was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries that were not-life threatening. Vainuku said he remained in the hospital Friday morning. A 17-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl who were passengers in the vehicle were taken to juvenile detention.

Police say the house hit by the teen sustained “extensive damage.” The home’s gas meter was knocked from the home, causing a “significant gas leak,” which forced the evacuation of some residents in the neighborhood, according to police. Neighboring residents were allowed to return to their homes Thursday night. The homeowner whose house was heavily damaged is staying with other family members.

Vainuku emphasized that the incident “was not a pursuit, it was never a pursuit” and involved an unmarked police car.