SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 2, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — An inadvertent decision to throw an unwanted bucket into some underbrush nearly cost a man his life in West Valley City early Tuesday morning.
West Valley City Police Lt. Shane Matheson told Gephardt Daily the man was loading a truck in a field near the intersection of 1680 W. Claybourne Ave. and 2700 S. Redwood Road about 1 a.m. when he tossed the bucket into the heavy growth and “struck a transient male who was asleep in the bushes.”
The enraged homeless man emerged from the thicket and stabbed the man in the back and face.
The assailant ran off, while witnesses who had been helping the victim load his truck called police.
Matheson said when the first West Valley City officer arrived he found the gravely wounded victim lying unconscious beneath his truck.
The officer began CPR and was able to revive the man. The victim was then rushed by ground ambulance to a local trauma center where underwent life saving surgery, Matheson said.
Police set up a wide containment effort and brought in K9s to try and find the attacker, who is described as a bearded male, 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet 8 inches tall, last seen wearing a red shirt and red pants.
Matheson said the man who was attacked had spent the day selling items from the back of his truck as a way to make some cash.
“If it wasn’t for the officer, the victim would have very likely passed away,” Matheson said.
