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LAKE POINT, Tooele County — A man staying in his car at a rest stop near the Tooele-Salt Lake County border was severely beaten with a baseball bat early Friday.
As of Friday morning no arrests had been made, and the Utah Highway Patrol was still trying to piece together what happened.
"We have a lot more questions than we do answers right now," said Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Todd Royce.
The man, whose name and age were not immediately released, had been sleeping at the Lake Point rest stop that overlooks the Great Salt Lake for several days, Royce said. The man was scheduled to start a new job on Monday and was still in transition between residences in Arizona and Tooele, he said.
About 5 a.m., someone approached the man and asked him something about money, either about owing money or wanting money, Royce said. When the discussion escalated, the suspect used a baseball bat to break the windows of the victim's car and then used the bat to beat the victim in the face and head, he said.
The victim was able to drive his car to the nearby Flying J, 1605 E. Saddleback Blvd., where he had been a regular visitor the past few days for meals, and "staggered" inside the door, Royce said. A medical helicopter was called and the man was taken to a local hospital.
As of Friday morning, the only description investigators had of the alleged attacker was a white, heavier set man, last seen wearing a dark jacket and a black headband.
Investigators were also trying to determine Friday if the suspect and victim were previously acquainted with each other, possibly from the Flying J.
Royce said random attacks at rest stops in Utah were extremely rare.
"Generally speaking, when an altercation like this takes place, the victim generally knows the suspect in some way or another," he said.
