A Salt Lake City man is in the Tooele County Jail after making the egregious mistake of stealing a car that was almost as old as he was Monday morning.
Fernando Garcia made a short lived try at out running a bevy of lawmen in a 1995 Honda Civic before the purloined vehicle’s engine blew about 12 miles east of town.
According to West Wendover Police Chief Burdel Welsh officer’s received a call at around 6:45 am Monday morning from a man at the Needle point trailer park that his car was being stolen.
As police were responding the car was spotted at the Montego Bay Casino and at least passenger jumped out of the car. Garcia continued to the I-80 on ramp and floored the gas. Speeds were estimated at 110 mph however the almost 20 year old Honda could not maintain it for long and the engine blew shorty after it passed the rest stop 12 miles east of Wendover.
Utah Highway Patrol Public Information officer Sgt. Todd Royce discounted initial reports that troopers set up a road block with spikes to stop the vehicle.
“There was too much traffic on the highway in the first place,” Royce said. “And the engine blew just at the very beginning. There really was no need and the suspect surrendered without incident once the car came to a stop.
“There may be more to this than a car theft,” Welsh explained. “There is something to suggest that Mr. Garcia may have been collecting a debt. The investigation continues.”
