Suspect fails at 3 carjack attempts, is arrested after jumping in front of Santa Clara-Ivins Police SUV

2018 file photo of Santa Clara-Ivins Police vehicle, location unspecified, July 11, 2018 | File photo courtesy of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The alleged theft of a vehicle set off a string of attempted carjackings that ended when the suspect jumped in front of an SUV and ordered the driver to turn over the vehicle.

2021 stock image of Santa Clara-Ivins patrol vehicle, Santa Clara, Utah, March 2, 2021 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

And it happened to be a Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department cruiser.

The concluding event transpired after a man in the middle of the roadway started to yell that he needed a ride, and when a motorist stopped and offered late Saturday night, the driver told the suspect he needed to make a quick stop first, and then he would take the suspect where he needed to go, according to charging documents filed with the court.

The motorist stopped at a residence and told the suspect to wait in the car while he ran inside, adding he would be right back.

While waiting for the owner to return, the suspect began to rummage through the vehicle and found a spare key he used to start the car and then drove off, leaving the owner who was still inside the residence.

Shortly after the car theft was reported in St. George,  officers in Santa Clara were dispatched to a report of an attempted carjacking shortly after midnight on Sunday, Santa Clara-Ivins Police Sgt. Reed Briggs told St. George News.

Briggs said the 911 caller told police a suspect jumped in front of their vehicle and started to bang on the hood and yelled for the driver to give the suspect their vehicle, and as the suspect attempted to open the car door, Briggs said, the motorist sped off and called police.

While officers were responding to the first call, a second call came into emergency dispatch reporting a similar incident that took place near a grocery store on Pioneer Road in Santa Clara near the Ivins border. During that incident, a suspect with the same description reportedly jumped in front of a vehicle and allegedly ordered the driver to turn over their car, and when the suspect approached the car door, Briggs said, the motorist sped away and called 911.

Minutes later, the suspect jumped in front of a third vehicle and pounded on the windshield as he yelled for the driver to turn over the SUV.

“That vehicle just so happened to be one of the police patrol units that was responding to the carjacking calls,” said Briggs, adding there was a second unit several yards behind that also witnessed the suspect pounding on the officer’s patrol vehicle.

Both officers, in full uniform at the time, exited the vehicle and approached the suspect, later identified as 37-year-0ld Ryan Dexter Torres, of Leeds, who attempted to flee as they were detaining him. And after a short scuffle, the man was on the ground and handcuffed by police.

In the meantime, the vehicle reportedly stolen in St. George later was found abandoned on Arcadia Drive in Ivins.

“So it looks like the suspect dumped the vehicle that was stolen out of St. George, and from there he walked to where the first attempted carjacking was reported,” Briggs said.

Torres was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing a second-degree felony theft charge, as well as an infraction for obstructing traffic.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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