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PLEASANT GROVE — A Draper man is facing criminal charges after police say he filmed himself fleeing from police and acting like he was in a video game.
The 19-year-old man was charged with failing to respond to an officer’s signal to stop and obstruction, third-degree felonies; reckless endangerment, a class A misdemeanor; reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor; and using a phone while driving, a class C misdemeanor.
The incident happened Feb. 20 in Pleasant Grove when an officer attempted to pull over a vehicle that had no license plate.
“The sedan accelerated, and the officer then also turned on his siren. The sedan ran a red light, almost colliding with another vehicle, before proceeding at speeds up to 95 mph,” according to charging documents.
The officer stopped chasing the car for safety precautions. Then more than a month later on March 23, another police agency received an email with videos of the chase.
“In the first video, the defendant is recording himself driving, while the vehicle can be heard accelerating, and talking about ‘cops’ chasing him. In the second video, the defendant is again recording himself, saying, ‘I’m in GTA (Grand Theft Auto), bro,’ and holding up a black handgun,” according to charging documents.
A third video shows the man recording police in his rearview mirror, the charges state. The videos were posted on social media.
Investigators learned the vehicle had a brown “wrap” during the chase, which he removed afterward and the car is now silver, the charges state.
