WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, Feb. 22, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A man police say has “an extensive criminal history” is facing multiple charges, including assault on an officer, after he allegedly drove his vehicle at the police who were responding to a report of a domestic incident Friday night.
Sgt. J. Palmer, West Valley City Police Department, said the initial call came in at about 8:49 p.m. reporting a physical domestic assault.
The victim was already at the hospital, which is where responding officers spoke with him. He told them that he and the suspect live in the same house.
Shortly before 10:30 p.m., officers went to the home, near 6702 West and 3860 South, in an effort to speak with the suspect.
“The suspect pulled up in a Mustang, and when he realized the police were there, he revved the engine and drove at the officers,” Palmer told Gephardt Daily.
Palmer said the man then drove down the street at high speed until he hit a tree at the end of the block and from there fled on foot.
Officers found the suspect hiding in a yard, and when he refused to comply with their orders to come out, “a K9 engaged him,” Palmer said.
The suspect, who is in his 30s, is now facing charges of mayhem, aggravated assault on an officer, driving under the influence, and fleeing on foot.
His name has not been released because he was being treated at the hospital overnight for a dog bite and injuries sustained when he crashed the Mustang into the tree. Palmer said the man will be booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Saturday.
Gephardt Daily will update this developing story as more information is made public.
