SALT LAKE COUNTY, Utah, Oct. 22, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — A man who was taken into custody Monday night after assaulting a Utah Highway Patrol trooper on Interstate 15 reportedly yelled at the trooper to “Tase me … shoot me,” as he continued to advance on the officer.
The incident began at about 9:12 p.m., when the trooper was dispatched to a report of a man walking up the 400 South on ramp to southbound I-15, a Department of Public Safety news release says.
Upon arrival, the trooper found the man at the top of the ramp.
When the trooper got out of his vehicle, the man “threw down his backpack, and aggressively advanced towards him,” the news release states.
The man ignored the trooper’s directions to go to the front of the patrol car and instead continued to come at the trooper and ripped the earpiece from his ear, the news release says.
The trooper immediately hit the emergency button to his radio and called out a 10-33, which is code for “Help Me Quick,” while the man continued to try to fight with the trooper.
When the trooper pulled out his Taser, the news release says, the man started yelling “Tase me!” and “Shoot me!”
Rio troopers were nearby listening to the Salt Lake North scanner channel and went to help the trooper while other units were on the way.
The man was safely taken into custody and was placed in a wrap and spit hood to prevent any further assault on the officers.
“He was checked by medical for a small laceration on the forehead and transported to jail,” the news release says.
An earlier report from the scene indicated that no officers were injured during the incident.
The southbound on ramp and northbound off-ramp for 400 South were closed for about a half-hour until the scene was cleared.
