This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A South Salt Lake man says he suffered a cut to his ear after being pistol-whipped by an intruder inside his home early Wednesday morning.
South Salt Lake police spokesman Gary Keller said the victim told police that he returned to his home in the 2600 South block of Masonic Circle (450 East) just before 2 a.m. The homeowner found his bedroom door, which he usually leaves open, had been closed.
Inside the bedroom, he said, he found the male intruder, wearing a balaclava-style ski mask. The suspect, armed with a handgun the victim said he had kept hidden under his bed in a backpack, purportedly used the weapon to strike the homeowner on the head.
The gun went off during the struggle, but purportedly the shot barely missed the victim.
Police said they found the handgun, apparently lost or thrown away by the intruder in the home's backyard.
Keller said police, who continue to investigate the circumstances, did not yet have a full description of the suspect, who fled the scene.
The victim was treated at the scene for his injury.
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