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SALT LAKE CITY — An 18-year veteran of the Salt Lake Police Department deployed a Taser on a man who was pulled over for speeding Thursday morning after he allegedly came at the officer with a knife.
An officer conducting speed enforcement near 400 West and 600 North attempted to pull over a vehicle about 10:30 a.m.
The vehicle initially did not stop, said Salt Lake police detective Richard Chipping. About a block later, after running a red light and going onto the 600 North overpass over I-15, the car pulled over and the "driver jumped out with a knife, saying they'd have to kill him," he said.
The man told the officer to shoot him while holding a knife with a 6-inch blade, said Salt Lake police detective Cody Lougy. The officer moved to the back of his vehicle for cover as another officer arrived for backup.
The driver was hit with a Taser and taken into custody. He was taken to a local hospital to be checked out before being booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
Terry Bluth, 40, was booked into jail for investigation of aggravated assault. Bluth has a history of traffic violations but no violence-related charges, according to court records.
Chipping said the incident is a stark reminder of why no traffic stop is "routine."
In this case, the officer likely could have pulled out his gun instead of his Taser.
"I think it does demonstrate a level of awareness from the officer to be able to anticipate how to resolve the situation without resorting to deadly force," Chipping said.
