Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
- Steven Bonnett is accused of leading police on a chase after declining a sobriety test.
- The chase ended in a standoff on I-15, involving SWAT intervention.
- Bonnett was arrested for investigation of DUI, drug possession and other potential charges.
NEPHI — After Steven Joseph Bonnett was pulled over on Wednesday for suspicion of reckless driving, he was asked to step out of his vehicle.
"No, I think I'm going to run," he told the Utah Highway Patrol trooper who pulled him over, according to a police booking affidavit.
What ensued was a chase on I-15 that ended with a standoff that forced the temporary closure of the freeway as a SWAT team tried to get Bonnett out of his vehicle.
The wild series of events began about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday when a trooper pulled Bonnett over on I-15 for reckless driving and speeding. Bonnett was driving a van and was "passing vehicles on the shoulder and speeding," according to a police booking affidavit. A trooper reported he was traveling 93 mph at the time.
Once Bonnett pulled over, the trooper immediately noticed signs of impairment, the affidavit states. The trooper ran Bonnett's information on his laptop and learned he is "an alcohol-restricted driver and was mandated to have an ignition interlock device installed in his vehicle."
The trooper walked back to Bonnett's van and asked him to get out.
"I asked Steven to exit the vehicle to conduct standardized field sobriety tests. Steven declined, stating, 'No, I think I'm going to run,'" according to the arrest report.
Troopers say Bonnett then drove off and a chase ensued. Additional agencies were contacted to try and spike Bonnett's tires.
"Steven was driving erratically, swerving between lanes and off the shoulder of the roadway. Eventually, he drove off the left shoulder, collided with a cable barrier, which caused significant damage to the vehicle and resulted in blown tires, rendering the van inoperable," the affidavit says.
The trooper then approached Bonnett's van and ordered him at gunpoint to get out.
"Multiple other units arrived on the scene. Steven exited the driver's seat and moved to the back of the van, where he retrieved an object that resembled a rifle and lay down in the back of the vehicle. SWAT was dispatched to the scene and successfully took Steven into custody," according to the affidavit.
Pepper balls were used to take Bonnett into custody. Troopers reported finding marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the vehicle. No weapon was found.
Bonnett was booked into the Juab County Jail for investigation of speeding, DUI, failing to stop for police, not having an interlock device, being an alcohol restricted driver, marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle and obstruction of justice.
According to court records, Bonnett's history of impaired driving dates back over 10 years.
