SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Dec. 25, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — A 54-year-old man is spending Christmas in the Salt Lake County jail after police say he intentionally crashed his car into an occupied vehicle, then ran from the scene.
Salt Lake City police were summoned at 3:40 p.m. Sunday to the scene, in the area of 300 South and 1000 West, according to an affidavit filed for Michael Floyd Norvell.
“As I arrived, I was flagged down by the victim that the suspect had fled the scene on foot and had headed westbound on 300 South,” the arresting SLCPD officer’s statement says. “I drove down 300 South and was waved down by a different witness that the suspect had continued on foot towards 200 South attempting to go onto the freeway.
“I located the suspect on 1100 W. Pierpont Ave. and he began walking towards me, and I instructed for him to sit down which he refused to do after multiple times.”
Norvell’s affidavit said he then asked the officer to shoot him, expressed suicidal thoughts, and said he hit the stranger’s vehicle on purpose. Norvell was placed into handcuffs, and the officer noted he had slurred speech, glossy reddish eyes, and smelled of alcohol, the affidavit says.
The victim told police he had no previous interaction with Norvell and was from another state and visiting family.
The victim said he had parked his vehicle and went to get one of his three children, who were inside the vehicle in their car seats, and bring them into the family’s home, the affidavit states.
“The victim stated as he was attempting to remove the kid in the car seat, then he observed (the man later identified as Norvell) inside his vehicle parked in the middle of the street, and then he accelerated rapidly heading straight towards the victim. (Norvell) slammed his vehicle into the victim’s car attempting to hit the victim with his car.
“The victim had jumped on top the car and got thrown to the ground. The victim said that he believed that he would have been killed if he hadn’t of jumped and said that (Norvell) was attempting to kill him.”
Cameras at the scene captured video of Norvell’s vehicle in the middle of the street, waiting for the victim to exit his vehicle, and as the victim exited his vehicle, the camera footage shows (Norvell) driving directly toward the victim, “who is standing on the driver side of vehicle, and (Norvell) accelerating with no brakes directly where the victim was standing. The video footage shows (Norvell) impacting directly where the victim was standing.”
The victim suffered no serious injuries, the police statement says. The children inside the victim’s vehicle were not hurt, an SLCPD public relations statement says.
Norvell was booked for investigation of:
- Aggravated assault, a first-degree felony (to be updated to attempted homicide, the officer’s statement says)
- Three counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Reckless driving, a class B misdemeanor
- Driving under the influence, first offense in 10 years, a class B misdemeanor
- Failure to comply duties at vehicle accident with property damage, a class B misdemeanor
- Right of way, stop or yield sign, an infraction
- Plates to be visible from 100 feet, an infraction
Norvell was ordered to be held without bail.
People experiencing thoughts of self-harm are urged to call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
