Suspect in custody after shots fired at officer, multi-hour standoff in Magna

File photo: Gephardt Daily/Monico Garza/SLCScanner

MAGNA, Utah, May 19, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — An armed and barricaded suspect was taken into suspect Tuesday morning after a police pursuit and multi-hour SWAT standoff that officials say began with a Monday night traffic stop and accelerated when the suspect shot at the responding officer.

The suspect — whose name will not be released until charges are filed, officers say — fled the scene, briefly eluded police, but was discovered to have barricaded himself into a Magna residence in the area of 7200 West and 3000 South.

Detective Michael Ruff, Salt Lake City Police Department, spoke to reporters at the scene at about 7:45 a.m.

“A few minutes ago, our SWAT team did deploy a diversionary device and we were able to safety take the individual into custody. No injuries reported to anyone has resolved.”

“Our SWAT team did negotiate,” Ruff said. “Eventually, we had an opportunity to take him into custody by using a diversionary device. The neighbors out here may have heard that. It kind of sounds like an explosion. Its just a distraction device, so it doesn’t hurt anything, It just causes a distraction and gives us an opportunity to take someone into custody safely.”

Ruff said that prior to the distraction, a social worker had tried to work with the suspect to get him to come out on his own.

“So we did bring everything out we could to try and take this individual into custody safely, and we’re glad we were able to do that.”

Agencies responding to Magna included the Salt Lake City Police Department, the Unified Police Department, Utah Highway Patrol, and Sandy City and West Valley City police.

The incident began just before 11 p.m. Monday when an officer tried to make a traffic stop on Interstate 215. As the officer walked up to the vehicle, he saw a gun on a surface inside the vehicle.

“The driver, after that gun was pointed out, decided to flee the scene and at some point as he was fleeing, shots were fired by the suspect in the vehicle. No shots were fired by officers,” Ruff said.

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