Suspect Driver in Fatal OICI Pursuit Arrested

SALT LAKE CITY — Detectives assigned to the Salt Lake City Police Department and the Crash Analysis Reconstruction Squad have arrested 39-year-old Christian Cody Facer in connection to the fatal pursuit-related crash that occurred Saturday in Rose Park.

After the crash, paramedics transported Facer to an area hospital in serious condition. He remained under guard by law enforcement due to the ongoing criminal investigation. Facer was immediately arrested by the SLCPD on October 19, 2021 after doctors released him from the hospital.

Facer will be booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on charges of Failure to Respond to an Officer’s Signal to Stop Resulting in Death or Serious Bodily Injury, Criminal Automobile Homicide, Driving Under the Influence, Ignition Interlock Violation, Driving on a Suspended or Revoked License, Open Container/Drinking Alcohol in a Vehicle, Speeding, Failure to Adhere to the Right of Way, Reckless Driving, and two counts of DUI with Serious Bodily Injury by Negligent Operation.

As previously released, this investigation started at 12:16 p.m. on Saturday October 16, 2021 when SLC911 received a request from an outside agency to assist non-SLCPD law enforcement at 1200 West 500 North after a pursuit involving North Salt Lake Police ended in a crash resulting in one fatality, three other people being injured and a dog being killed.

No officers assigned to the Salt Lake City Police Department were involved in the pursuit.

For additional information on the crash and the ongoing Officer Involved Critical Incident (OICI) investigation, please click here.

The victim who died on scene is identified as 33-year-old Thy Hoang Vu.

Based on the preliminary investigation, Vu was the driver of a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder T-boned by the fleeing suspect vehicle, a Ford F-250.

The identity of the passenger in Vu’s vehicle is not being released. As of Tuesday October 19, 2021, that person remains in the hospital in critical condition.

Due to the ongoing investigation, the identity of the passenger of Facer’s vehicle is not being released at this time. The passenger remains in the hospital in serious condition.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is asking media to respect the privacy of Ms. Vu’s family and the family of her passenger.

No additional information is being released at this time due to the ongoing criminal investigation.

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