Close call with semi, fleeing vehicle caught on commuter dashcam

LAYTON, Utah – What should have been an average drive to work, changed drastically in just seconds for Marshall Thompson early Tuesday morning. Video from his dashcam shows a car, where the driver was apparently evading police, spinning forward in front of him, just as it collided with a semi truck trailer.

“Just spun out completely right in front of me,” Thompson said. “I see a lot of accidents, but this one was so close that it was, ‘OK, what do I gotta do?'”

Thompson says the semi driver carefully dragged his load to the side shoulder, avoiding collision with any other vehicles.

“When I saw that happen, I was going, ‘Oh man, just keep it together. Keep it together,'” he said, and he did.

According to a probable cause statement, filed by an officer with the Syracuse Police Department, an officer was called out to check on a suspicious circumstance at the local Walmart store. According to the report, the officer pursued the vehicle briefly, but later took note of the license plate number and called off the chase. Moments later, report of that vehicle being involved in a crash came in from dispatch.

Thompson says officers told him to remain in his car. Considering the damage done to the car, he says he was amazed to see people walk away and into police custody, with no major injuries.

“That was amazing,” Thompson said. “You look at the front of that car, and you’d think somebody was going to be still in that car, at least hopefully still alive, but I was surprised to even see four people get out of the car; let alone walk away from it.”

Through the whole experience, Thompson says he felt safe, thanks in part to how officers handled the situation.

“They had it pretty well under control,” Thompson said.

Marcus Zavala, 24, was booked into the Davis County Jail on suspicion of failing to respond to an officer’s signal to stop, and for not having a current vehicle registration or driver’s license. Three others were arrested on outstanding warrants.