MIDVALE, Utah (KUTV) — Unified Police identified Maxwell Archibald as the man behind the wheel of a car traveling the wrong way on I-215 following a chase and robbery that ended with one person being shot.
Spencer Mears caught Archibald on his dashcam video driving in the westbound lanes on I-215 eastbound near Big Cottonwood Canyon.
“It all happened so fast,” Mears said. “Just around the corner, out of nowhere, I saw this car coming towards me on the shoulder,” Mears said.
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Mears, who was on his way home from work, said the situation triggered an “adrenaline rush” as Archibald sped past him.
“I thought he was gone, I was out of danger,” he said.
However, the pursuit became so dangerous that the police had to break it off several times.
“This is obviously a dangerous individual who is willing to put the public at significant risk,” said Sergeant Amyee Race of the Unified Police Department. “We wanted to arrest this individual, and we always have to consider what is the safer option.”
Police said they had to notify the Utah Highway Patrol when Archibald entered the highway the wrong way.
“I heard that multiple agencies went to those on- and off-ramps to see if the suspect had left that area,” Race said.
Mears is aware that this situation could have ended much worse.
“To be able to cross the highway like that without hitting people – everyone was lucky,” Mears said.
Unified Police confirmed that Archibald was booked into jail Wednesday evening and that the ATF has taken over the case.
Spokespeople for both the ATF and the U.S. Attorney would neither confirm nor deny investigations into Archibald.
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