SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Sept. 17, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police have identified a man taken into custody after a multi-hour SWAT operation based on a report of domestic violence.
The suspect is 35-year-old Andrew Taylor.
The investigation started at 11:52 p.m. Friday when a call came to dispatch regarding a woman yelling for someone to call police. The caller reported it sounded like a fight was in progress.
Officers responded to an apartment building in the area of 1025 East and 400 South, and found signs of a disturbance, a statement from the SLCPD says. Additional officers were called in.
Response
Officers confirmed the female victim left the area before they arrived. Investigators learned Taylor had been booked on Sept. 7 on charges of assault and violation of a protective order, class A misdemeanors, and domestic violence in the presence of a child, a class B misdemeanor.
The suspect refused to comply with officers, and revealed he had access to a firearm, the police statement says.
“At 2:44 a.m., the on-scene incident commander requested the assistance of SLCPD SWAT and Crisis Negotiators,” the SLCPD statement says. A court-authorized search warrant was obtained.
“SWAT and Crisis Negotiators continued for several hours to communicate with the suspect, but he still refused. With no response from the suspect, SWAT officers entered the home. At 6:13 a.m. on Saturday, September 17, 2022, SWAT declared the apartment safe.”
In police custody
Taylor was taken into custody without further incident, the statement says, adding that Taylor will be booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail once medically evaluated.
“Officers believe Taylor caused injury to himself while inside the apartment prior to officers getting inside,” the statement says, without revealing the nature of the injury.
According to court records, Taylor was released from the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022, after he posted bond on the earlier DV case.
“At that time, as part of his release, Taylor promised ‘not to commit any criminal offense’ and agreed to have no contact with the victim in the earlier DV case — who is the same victim in today’s case,” the statement says.
Taylor was also arrested after an Aug. 20 incident, in which he was charged on suspicion of assaulting a 12-year-old boy, who was placed in a chokehold, according to court documents filed in that case. Taylor was charged with aggravated child abuse, knowingly or intentionally, a second-degree felony; and with criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor, after he allegedly used a shovel to break open an apartment door.
Help
The SLCPD urges anyone subjected to domestic violence to call 801-799-3000 and ask to speak with a Victim Advocate, or call their 24-hour hotline directly at 801-580-7969. All services are free, and callers can get information anonymously.
Police also suggest contacting the following agencies:
