One man was arrested after the Utah Highway Patrol said they caught him running on the I-15 freeway in downtown Salt Lake City. Photo: UDOT screengrab via KSL TV
SALT LAKE CITY — The HOV lane of southbound Interstate 15 near 700 South in Salt Lake City was closed for a time Tuesday morning because of a chase involving a UHP trooper tackling a man on the freeway.
Utah Highway Patrol said a man on foot led them on a chase, crossing multiple lanes of I-15 while it was still dark outside around 5:30 a.m. Police didn’t offer an explanation for why they were pursuing the man in the first place, but they worried he would get hit by a car.
“It’s super-scary out in the dark conditions,” said UHP trooper Arthur Nelson. “You can’t see him until the last second. That’s why it’s illegal to be a pedestrian on the freeway.”
A UHP trooper tackled him after the man jumped the dividing wall into the interstate’s southbound lanes.
KSL TV reported that the man was checked out by medical officials and seemed to be OK. He was then taken to the Salt Lake County Jail.
An investigation is ongoing.