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Here’s why police and ambulances responded to a house near the University of Utah

Though ambulances were on the scene, Salt Lake City police say the situation was minor.

(Trent Nelson | The Salt Lake Tribune) Police at the scene of an incident near 100 South and Wolcott Street near the University of Utah in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.

A commotion near the University of Utah drew several police cars and ambulances early Wednesday morning, for what police eventually described as a discharge of bear spray.

Salt Lake City Police spokesperson Glen Mills said officers responded to a call near 100 S. Wolcott St., near the U.’s Greek Row, when a person apparently tried to break into someone’s room shortly after 6 a.m.

The large response came after someone called 911 and said a group was trying to break into the home from the outside, Mills said. That information turned out to be incorrect, he said.

The location was not one of the university’s fraternities or sororities, but a house where separate rooms are rented out, according to Mills.

Police had few details of what happened, Mills said, but said the person had used bear spray, which is why medical teams responded to the scene along with police.

By the time officers arrived, Mills said the person allegedly trying to break in was already gone.