A Salt Lake City police officer shot and injured a person early Saturday morning, after the person allegedly tried to avoid a Utah Highway Patrol traffic stop, police said.
Paramedics treated the injured person and transported them to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to a release issued Saturday by Salt Lake City police.
Police later arrested the injured person and another suspect, police said.
The release said that at 12:10 a.m, UHP troopers saw a speeding white Dodge Ram with vehicle-equipment violations. The truck drove away before a traffic stop could be completed, police said.
A trooper later found the truck at 5650 W. 700 South, an industrial area southwest of Salt Lake City International Airport, with no one inside, police said. UHP asked Salt Lake City police to join the search for the suspects at 12:25 a.m.
At 12:40 a.m., the press release said, a Salt Lake City officer fired at least one shot, hitting the suspect. No one else was injured, police said.
Police said they continued the search, without finding other people involved. The search was done on the ground and in the air, with several Salt Lake City police units, including the Gang Unit, the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team, the K9 Squad, and officers certified in flying drones. A drone operator from the Unified Police was also called in, along with the Utah Department of Public Safety Aero Bureau, the release said.
The officer who shot the suspect has been placed on paid administrative leave, a standard procedure, while a team led by Unified police officers investigates, the release said.
“This incident appears to have unfolded very quickly,” said Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown. “Our priority is to support our involved officer and to allow for a comprehensive and professional investigation to determine the circumstances and facts.”
Saturday’s shooting marked the 11th police shooting in Utah so far this year, according to a database maintained by The Salt Lake Tribune.