A Robbery Leads to Chase on US-6 and Shooting

By PATSY STODDARD Editor

On Sunday, March 12 at approximately 6:25 p.m. the Comfort Inn in Green River was the site of an armed robbery. The clerk was in front of the building and saw a dark colored S-10 blazer pull into the parking lot. A man approached her and she opened the door of the lobby and the man entered the lobby. The clerk went back around the desk and asked if she could help the man. He was described as a white male in his early 20s with a dark goatee, beanie hat, 5’8″ and thin build. The suspect demanded cash from the clerk. He showed the clerk a weapon, but didn’t point it at the clerk. He kept saying he didn’t want any trouble and the clerk gave him $245 out of the drawer and he departed the lobby.
The clerk saw the vehicle leave the parking lot and head eastbound.
The clerk called the Emery County Sheriff’s Office and gave a description of the vehicle and the suspect. Three troopers from the Utah Highway patrol began looking for the vehicle.
Trooper Greg Funk spotted the vehicle turning onto SR-6. He ran the plate on the vehicle and it showed to a stolen vehicle from Indiana. Funk attempted to pull the vehicle over, but it didn’t respond to the flashing lights and siren. A high speed chase ensued northbound along SR-6. A road block had been setup near milepost 158 and a second one was set up near the East Carbon junction. Several law enforcement units were involved at the road blocks.
Patrol vehicles were on each side of the road block. The suspect vehicle approached the roadblock and pulled behind one to the trooper’s vehicles.
It is at this point in the story where things become a bit cloudy. One shot was fired at the scene by law enforcement and the passenger from the vehicle was struck in the abdomen area. He was administered to by the officers at the scene until an ambulance crew arrived. The victim was transported to Castleview Hospital in Price where he was stablilized and then lifeflighted to a Salt Lake hospital.
The other suspect in the vehicle was taken to the Carbon County jail for questioning.
The incident is under investigation by the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and cooperating agencies. The robbery in Green River is being investigated by the Emery County Sheriff’s Office.