UHP trooper injured in collision with driver arrested for speeding, DUI

OGDEN — A man, 24, was taken into custody early Saturday morning after Utah Highway Patrol said he was driving more than 100 mph and attempted to elude authorities.

According to the probable cause statement, a UHP trooper clocked a black Chevrolet Impala traveling at 101 mph in a speed zone of 70 mph around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The trooper attempted to stop the vehicle. However, the driver, identified as Guillermo Velazquez, fled in an attempt to escape police.

“The suspect vehicle continued for several miles, exiting the freeway and re-entering the highway on the ramp,” the probable cause statement reads.

The document further states at that point there was a collision between the Impala and the UHP vehicle. According to the UHP, the crash occurred on the northbound ramp to Interstate 15 at 31st Street in Ogden.

The crash was significant enough to cause injuries to the occupants of the Impala as well as the trooper, according to the probable cause statement.

Troopers said after the collision Velazquez, in the Impala, then drove in the opposite direction. The document states Velazquez drove the car until it “would mechanically not continue.”

Once the vehicle came to a stop, officers from local jurisdictions took the four occupants of the vehicle into custody. Officers said Velazquez was not wearing a seat belt and was “highly intoxicated.” Additionally, authorities said an open container of alcohol was found in the vehicle, which also had a strong odor of marijuana.

Velazquez was transported to an area hospital for injuries from the collision. He was booked into the Weber County Jail for investigation of failure to stop for an officer’s signal and driving under the influence and for having an open container in a vehicle on a highway.

The UHP trooper was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of his injuries. He was released a short time later and is expected to make a full recovery.