A Utah Highway Patrol trooper was injured Tuesday when he fell off Interstate 80 while trying to lay down tire-deflation strips to help stop an SUV authorities were pursuing, officials said during an afternoon news conference.
Before the pursuit, Salt Lake City police tried to stop the SUV at about 10 a.m. Tuesday near 900 West and North Temple Street, Salt Lake City police Sgt. Mark Wian said. The SUV took off, but police didn’t immediately follow — instead sharing a description of the vehicle with other law enforcement agencies.
Wian did not provide further information about why police initially tried to stop the SUV.
Later, another Salt Lake City officer spotted the SUV near 7200 West and 1300 South. There, the SUV hit the officer’s patrol car in an attempt to get away. The officer wasn’t injured, Wian said.
Utah Highway Patrol troopers soon responded to the area assist Salt Lake City police, Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden said.
When UHP tried to deploy the tire-deflation strips near I-80 and 7200 West, one of the troopers “fell off of a structure onto a surface street down below,” Roden said.
The trooper was hospitalized after the fall and remained in serious condition as of Tuesday afternoon. Roden added that the trooper was alert and talking to medical professionals while being treated.
Officials did not specify if the trooper was hit by the car before he fell.
A Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter continued to follow the SUV until it later parked at an area hotel, Roden said. There, authorities took the driver, a 34-year-old man, into custody.
He was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on Tuesday on suspicion of aggravated assault against a public safety officer, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and felony fleeing. The Salt Lake Tribune does not identify defendants unless they have been charged with a crime.
The area of 7200 West south of I-80 was temporarily closed Tuesday afternoon as authorities investigated.
