Thieves lead police on a high-speed chase through town

On April 22, 2022, at approximately 3:30 p.m., the Kane County Sheriff’s dispatch center received a call about a suspicious male individual who appeared to be burglarizing vehicles parked in the hospital parking lot.

Witnesses saw the man enter several different parked cars and exit them with items in his hands. Officers from Kanab City Police and the Kane County Sheriff’s Office attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle that the suspect was believed to be a passenger in and a high-speed chase ensued. The driver of the vehicle failed to stop for the officers and deputies and turned onto highway 89, eventually driving south on 89A towards Fredonia.

After crossing the Arizona state line at speeds of over 100 MPH the Fredonia Marshalls picked up the pursuit. The chase went through Fredonia and south on highway 89A for several miles.

The driver, later identified as a 26-year-old female out of California, suddenly made a U-turn and headed back towards Fredonia. Officers and Deputies had spike strips ready to spike the car’s tires if it made it back to Fredonia. The driver at some point left the road and drove through the brush and crashed into a wash that she did not know was there. The driver was life-flighted out with two broken ankles and a neck injury.

The passenger, later identified as a 25-year-old male from California, was transported to the Kane County Hospital and later to St George Hospital with a broken jaw. It was determined that the car had been stolen from California and the license plate was also stolen and belonged to another vehicle.

The crash was investigated by the Arizona Department Of Public Safety and the property that was stolen from the vehicle at the hospital was recovered.

Charges on the two occupants are pending in Utah to be determined by the Kane County Attorney’s Office.