SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 28, 2025 — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department have arrested a man who allegedly attempted to flee a traffic stop, putting officers in the path of the vehicle he was driving.
The incident happened on March 28 of this year. Austin Jeffrey Giles was able to flee the scene, and was arrested nearly two months later, on May 23, last Friday. He was booked into jail for investigation of the following alleged crimes:
- Two counts of aggravated assault targeting law enforcement with bodily injury, a first-degree felony
- Failure to respond to officers' signal to stop, a third-degree felony
- Drive on suspended or revoked license, a class C misdemeanor
The arrest document for Giles, 34, says that on March 28, SLCPD detectives conducted a traffic stop on a 2014 bronze Mercedes C Class sedan. Giles stopped at 1338 W. California Ave., the statement says.
The arresting officer said Giles was found to have a suspended driver license. The officer asked Giles, described as "a documented gang member" -- with a history of weapons possession and fleeing police -- to step out of the vehicle.
"Detectives observed that (Giles) appeared to be nervous while speaking," the arrest document says. "Detectives informed (Giles) that he was going to conduct a terry frisk on him."
A terry frisk is a pat down, over clothing, to check for weapons that could be used against officers.
"When (Giles) heard this, he jumped back into the driver seat of the vehicle," the court document says. Detectives attempted to pull Giles from the car as he attempted to put the vehicle into drive, the affidavit says.
"The front seat female passenger was putting the vehicle back in park and yelling at him to stop."
Detectives ordered Giles to stop several times, the statement says.
"While (Giles) was attempting to put the vehicle in drive an assisting detective was in the direct path of the vehicle's path to flee. (Giles) was able to get the vehicle into drive and then fled the area, disregarding the detective's visual signal to stop.
"Your affiant and the assisting detective were put at risk of serious bodily injury by the (Giles) with his recklessness while driving the vehicle."
The document does not say officers were hurt, but notes the potential was there.
After his arrest last week, Giles was booked in the Salt Lake County Metro Jail, says a news release issued Thursday by the SLCPD Public Relations Office.
