South Salt Lake police on Friday arrested a 20-year-old man suspected of hitting a pedestrian while driving a stolen motorcycle then speeding off earlier this week.
Officers spotted the man late Friday afternoon as they canvassed a neighborhood near 400 East and 2500 South, where the motorcycle had been discovered hidden in some bushes a day earlier, South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller said.
The crash occurred at 3300 South and 900 West just before midnight Tuesday. Police found a 49-year-old Mark Swindle lying unconscious in a crosswalk with serious head injuries.
Witnesses told officers the suspect slid on the pavement, then got up and sped off on the Honda sport bike.
As they searched the neighborhood where the motorcycle was found late Friday afternoon, officers saw a man leaving the area on a bicycle. He matched the suspect description and had bandages on his hand, Keller said.
The man fled on the bike, then on foot. A ”game of cat and mouse” ensued through several South Salt Lake neighborhoods before officers were able to corner the suspect near Lake Street and 2600 South about 7 p.m., the spokesman said. The suspect has denied his involvement in the crash in police interviews, Keller said. He was booked into the Salt Lake County jail Saturday afternoon.
Police said Swindle remained in critical condition Saturday.