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COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A Cottonwood Heights police officer was hit by a fleeing vehicle early Sunday, but not before firing seven shots at the driver in an attempt to stop the car from running him over.
Many of those shots went through the front windshield and struck the driver's seat. Amazingly, investigators did not find any evidence of blood when they later found the vehicle abandoned.
The incident began about 3 a.m. when an officer spotted a vehicle with a stolen license plate. Detectives would later discover the vehicle had also been stolen from a used car lot, said Cottonwood Heights police officer Beau Babka.
The officer attempted to pull the vehicle over, but the driver sped away. Following a short pursuit, the officer stopped chasing, Babka said.
The officer found the car a few minutes later, stopped in the street at 7165 Hatley View Circle. The vehicle appeared to be abandoned so the officer got out of his car and approached it from the front.
"As he got closer, at a certain point (the suspect) popped up from the driver's side, turns on the car and drives at him," Babka said.
As the vehicle approached the officer at a high rate of speed, the officer fired seven rounds before being hit, rolling off the hood and onto the ground.
"He could have been rolled under the wheel," Babka said. "He could have been run over."
Neighbor Christopher McGee said he was getting ready for bed when he heard squealing tires, followed by gunshots. "Later, probably like three to five minutes later, more squealing tires again and then that was it," he said.
The officer, whose name was not released, was treated for cuts and bruises but did not suffer any major injuries, Babka said.
About 45 minutes later, the vehicle was found in the parking lot of the Santa Fe Apartments, near 7000 South and 1500 East, this time abandoned.
Several bullet holes were found in the windshield, as well as the driver's seat and the backseat of the car where some of the shots traveled, Babka said. To the surprise of investigators, however, no blood was found.
"We're not sure if we hit him," Babka said.
Local hospitals were given notice to be on the lookout for a possible gunshot victim.
Detectives said after the driver parked the car at the apartment complex, he apparently tried to spray paint it green to change the white vehicle's appearance before giving up and stealing another nearby car, a brown Chrysler with Utah license plate B29 2EL.
Investigators have a vague description of the suspect. Anyone with information can call Cottonwood Heights police at 801-840-4000.
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Story compiled with contributions from Pat Reavy and Sandra Yi.
