Occupants of stolen Lamborghini arrested following traffic stop that led to temporary I-15 closure

A driver who appears to be holding a cell phone points to responding officers as he leans out of a suspected stolen Lamborghini, Iron County, Utah, Dec. 31, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Multiple law enforcement officers in Iron County responded to a New Year’s Eve incident involving a Lamborghini sports car that had been stolen from the Las Vegas area. The ensuing traffic stop prompted road closures on both sides of Interstate 15, as well as along the adjacent Old Highway 91 frontage road.

Law enforcement vehicles respond to an incident that closed Interstate 15 near milepost 55 in Southern Utah, Dec. 31, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The incident, which was first reported shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday, also resulted in the temporary closures of multiple exits along northbound I-15 in Cedar City and Parowan.

Utah Highway Patrol Lt. Randy Riches told St. George News the pursuit was initiated after the owner of the Lamborghini contacted emergency dispatchers in Southern Utah and said that his car was traveling northbound on I-15 in Washington County.

“He was able to track it due the technology on board the vehicle,” Riches said, adding, “Our troopers also received information at same time that the person responsible for the theft of the vehicle has a history of being violent towards police officers, so there was definitely caution placed on the suspect.”

In cooperation with officers from several local agencies, troopers then began putting together a plan to intercept the vehicle, including the roadway and exit closures, Riches said.

Officers then initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle just north of the Hamilton Fort exit at mile marker 54.

“When they attempted to stop the car, the driver accelerated briefly,” Riches said. “But he then decided to pull over to the side of the road and came to a stop.”

The vehicle, which appeared to be a newer model gray and red Lamborghini STO, was occupied by an adult male driver and an adult female passenger, Riches said.

“They were both non compliant with commands from officers,” Riches said. “They weren’t listening to them or exiting the vehicle or doing the things they were supposed to be doing. And with the caution that we had on the individual, we didn’t want to take any chances of pushing the incident, injuring officers, the suspect, or any uninvolved motorists. So, we took precautions, called out the SWAT team and shut down northbound and southbound I -15.”

Riches said that while the traffic closures might seem an inconvenience to some drivers, “We’d much rather ensure their safety than take the risk of having a casualty with motorists passing by.”

Eventually, both occupants exited the vehicle, although the driver reportedly continued to aggressively resist the officers’ commands.

A driver who appears to be holding a cell phone points to responding officers as he leans out of a suspected stolen Lamborghini, Iron County, Utah, Dec. 31, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

“They attempted to talk with him, converse with him, negotiate with him, to get him to comply and voluntarily submit to arrest,” Riches said. “However, he was not subscribing to that.”

Iron County Metro SWAT officers eventually had to deploy a Taser on the suspect, Riches added, after which the occupants of the car were taken into custody without further incident shortly before 6 p.m.

Although neither person had been formally booked into Iron County Jail as of 7:30 p.m. Saturday, both were booked later that same evening and are currently being held without bail as they await their initial court appearances.

The driver, identified as Ricardo Cora of New York, faces charges of possession of a stolen vehicle, assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, failure to stop on command and driving on a suspended or revoked license. The passenger, identified as Jennifer Soto of Pennsylvania, has been booked on suspicion of possession of a stolen vehicle, failure to stop on command and resisting arrest.

In addition to the Metro SWAT team, other responding agencies included Utah Highway Patrol, Cedar City Police, Iron County Sheriff’s Office, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Utah Department of Public Safety’s Aero Bureau, Enoch City Police, at least two K-9 handlers and Gold Cross Ambulance.

“In these situations, we get we get an abundance of help from all the surrounding law enforcement agencies, which certainly helps these things to go off a lot smoother than they otherwise could,” Riches added.

At 5:21 p.m., Utah Department of Transportation posted on Twitter regarding the freeway closure due to a “police incident.” The roads were reopened to traffic just over a half hour later, around 6 p.m.

This report is based on preliminary statements from law enforcement officials 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.

St. George News reporter Haven Scott contributed to this article.

Updated Jan. 1, 2:45 p.m. to include the names of both of the vehicle’s occupants and the charges associated with their jail bookings.

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

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!