An officer shot and injured a 20-year-old man in Salt Lake City on Wednesday while attempting to pull him over for driving a stolen car, police said.
The shooting happened about 3:40 p.m. when police “came into contact” with the car on 1460 West near North Temple, said Sgt. Keith Horrocks of the Salt Lake City Police Department.
It’s unclear what led up to it, but as the officer approached the car he ended up firing “at least one round,” Horrocks said.
Horrocks said he doesn’t know if the man inside the car threatened the officer or had a weapon. “We’d assume there was a threat of deadly force,” Horrocks said.
The man was hit and taken to the hospital. The sergeant said he is expected to recover. His name has not yet been released.
It also is unclear if there was a chase leading up to the shooting. At the scene, a red sedan was parked halfway on a sidewalk with the doors open, surrounded by patrol cars. Horrocks could not say who reported the car was stolen, where it was stolen from or if the driver knew it was stolen.
“It’s very preliminary,” he said.
The shooting, on the west side of Salt Lake City, happened on a small street in between a KOA campground and a shuttered motel. Several campers peered around yellow police tape, trying to see what happened.
Unified Police will take over the investigation.
