Man allegedly punches officer, arrested after fleeing

Man allegedly punches officer, arrested after fleeing

(Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley police officer was injured Saturday after a man allegedly punched him in the face and then ran away.

Officers received a call about a suspicious vehicle in the parking lot of Jackling Elementary School, 3760 S 4610 West, about 7 p.m. When officers arrived, they found a man smoking a pipe, said West Valley Police Lt. Dalan Taylor.

The man, identified as Eric Dustin Johnson, complied with a request to step out of the vehicle, but then punched the officer in the face and fled, Taylor said.

A second officer arrived as Johnson began fleeing. As the two officers pursued him across the school field on foot, the already-injured officer sustained another injury to his knee.

After running across the school field, Johnson allegedly jumped over a fence and hid in a shed. Officers were unable to remove him so they called for a police K9, which arrived and bit the man, the lieutenant said.

Johnson was then arrested. The injured officer was taken to a local medical facility with minor injuries. More information will be updated as it is made available.


Allison Oligschlaeger is currently studying English and Arabic at the University of Utah while completing an internship with the Deseret News. Contact her at aoligschlaeger@deseretnews.com.

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