ST. GEORGE — A man is in custody following a pursuit that began in Washington City and ended on northbound Interstate 15 — after a multiagency pursuit triggered a temporary shutdown of the interstate in both directions over the weekend.
On Saturday evening, 42-year-old Jonathan Valdivia-Garcia Jr., of Riverside County, California, was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on multiple charges.
The arrest stems from a pursuit that began earlier that day when a Washington City Police officer working an unrelated criminal interdiction operation noticed a white Ford pickup truck that was flagged as stolen out of California, according to charging documents filed in support of the arrest.
The officer, who had been stopped on the side of I-15 near the St. George Boulevard Exit, pulled onto northbound I-15 and caught up with the pickup just as it exited the interstate at Green Spring Drive. The officer then pulled up behind the truck in one of the shopping center parking lots in Washington City and activated his emergency lights and sirens to initiate a high-risk traffic stop.
Police say Garcia initially responded by throwing his hands in the air after bringing the pickup to a stop. But just as the officer got out of his patrol vehicle, Garcia “flipped me off using his middle finger” and then fled east on Telegraph Street at a high rate of speed, the officer noted in the report.
Due to the speeds involved and the risk to the public, the pursuit was discontinued shortly after it began. The officer dropped back and followed at a distance with emergency lights and siren deactivated.
As he continued east, Garcia reportedly veered into oncoming traffic and ran a stop light. At this point, the officer said he lost sight of the vehicle, and an attempt to locate was sent out to all surrounding agencies.
A short while later, an officer spotted the truck near 200 East and Telegraph Street, where Garcia reportedly drove through a fence and returned to the interstate heading south. The truck was then spotted near the Washington Parkway on-ramp by a Utah Highway Patrol trooper who began to follow.
Garcia then took the Green Spring Exit for a second time, and minutes later, he was spotted again heading north on I-15.
By this time, there were multiple police units from various agencies in pursuit, and at 5:25 p.m., the Utah Department of Transportation issued a notice indicating that both directions of I-15 were closed at milepost 16, as reported by St. George News at the time of the incident.
The chase ended just north of the Hurricane Exit after Garcia got stuck in the dirt while attempting to use the emergency crossover, which is the dirt road located in the median designed for restricted use by law enforcement and emergency personnel.
The trooper pulled up to the disabled truck to block Garcia from driving off, while multiple police units lined up across the median of I-15. Garcia was ordered out of the truck at gunpoint, the report states. And approximately 10 minutes later, he exited the truck and was taken into custody by a Washington City Police officer.
With Garcia in custody, I-15 was reopened in both directions and traffic flow returned to normal shortly before 6 p.m.
Authorities say Garcia said he had purchased the truck for $10,000 from a man he knew only as “Tridan,” the report states. Officers say they found the price “odd” since the truck was valued at more than $60,000.
When authorities inquired further, Garcia reportedly said he was originally going to pay $50,000 for the truck but was able to get it for $10,000 yet failed to provide further details as to how he was able to buy the truck at a significantly lower price.
When asked why he fled, Garcia told officers that he was on parole in California and was “scared,” the report states. Investigators were unable to locate Garcia’s parole officer at the time of his arrest.
Garcia was booked into jail in Washington County on multiple charges, including one count of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony, along with third-degree felony evading. He also faces six misdemeanors on charges that include drug possession, reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and failing to remain at the scene of a crash that caused property damage. He was then placed on a no-bail hold.
On Monday, formal charges were filed against Garcia, and he made an initial appearance in 5th District Court later that day. A bail reduction hearing is scheduled to take place on Oct. 3, and until then, Garcia remains in custody without bail.
This report is based on statements by law enforcement personnel and may not include the full scope of the findings.
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