UHP releases dashcam footage of troopers pulling woman from burning car; suspect charged

December 9, 2017 Utah Channel 3

CEDAR CITY — A Missouri man has been arrested after taking police on a pursuit Tuesday night that ended with the suspect car rolling multiple times and catching fire with a passenger trapped inside. The passenger’s heroic rescue by Utah Highway Patrol troopers was captured on dashcam video.

Richard Scott Davis of Independence, Missouri, booking photo taken Dec. 6, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Department, St. George News

The driver, Richard Scott Davis, of Independence, Missouri, was booked into Washington County’s Purgatory Correctional Facility early Wednesday morning.

A trooper attempted to stop the silver Audi passenger car on northbound Interstate 15 near mile maker 40 after reportedly witnessing the car traveling at more than 100 mph.

See dashcam footage in the video top of this report.

The pursuit was terminated at mile post 48, and minutes later the car was found near the on-ramp at mile marker 51 after it had rolled multiple times and caught fire, with Davis’ passenger still trapped inside.

Once Utah Highway Patrol Troopers Mike Murphy, Bambi Baie and Joe Pastor arrived at the scene of the rollover, the trio sprang into action. Murphy grabbed a fire extinguisher while Pastor and Baie ran to the passenger side of the vehicle. After cutting her lose from her seat belt, they pulled the unconscious female passenger from the car as flames raged through the vehicle.

Davis was taken into police custody on charge of evading causing death or serious bodily injury, a second-degree felony, along with possessing a stolen vehicle, a second-degree felony, after police learned that the car Davis was driving was reported stolen out of southern California. Davis is also facing a class A misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence with personal injury.

The evading charge causing death or serious bodily injury stems from the fact that the car rolled multiple times and caught fire with a passenger trapped and injured inside, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Jacob Cox said.

“Those conditions meet the requirements of the statute outlined in that charge,” Cox said.

The woman who was rescued by troopers remains in the hospital as of Friday, Cox said, which is the last update he received.

The investigation into the incident is still ongoing.

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders 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.

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