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HERRIMAN — Police have arrested a man after they say he used knives to threaten and attack a man and a woman who were his roommates.
A neighbor called 911 about 5:45 p.m. Saturday to report a stabbing on Midas Gold Road, Herriman Police Lt. Cody Stromberg said.
Police found a man and woman at the neighbor's house, both with "severe wounds," Stromberg said. They were transported to a local hospital and are expected to recover.
The man wanted in the stabbing had fled the scene by the time police arrived.
Officers have been in the area of Midas Gold Rd searching for a suspect in an aggravated domestic assault. K9 teams from @UPDSL and HPD were conducting a joint search of the area and located the suspect in a nearby backyard. He is going to jail and there are no other suspects.
— Herriman PD (@HerrimanPolice) November 24, 2019
Herriman Police Department found Thomas Michael Taren, 52, in a nearby backyard and took him into custody, according to a tweet.
"He is going to jail and there are no other suspects," read the tweet.
Taren was booked on investigation of aggravated assault resulting in serious bodily injury, aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and interruption or interference of a communications device.
According to a probable cause statement, the victims are siblings and both live with Taren. The brother told police he observed Taren push his sister to the ground multiple times about 2 p.m. One of those falls caused a rib fracture, the statement said.
The brother told police he also saw Taren drag his sister into the bedroom by her feet and strike her in the face multiple times, according to the statement.
Taren demanded the brother's phone from him, the statement says, which he gave him. Taren then grabbed two knives from the kitchen and said repeatedly he was going to kill both of them.
Taren took the siblings into a bedroom, made them sit on a bed and stood over them while holding the knives and threatening to kill them, the statement says. He struck the brother in the side of the head with the butt end of the knife, leaving a 1-inch wound. Eventually he made the brother get in the closet and continued attacking the sister.
The statement says the brother hid in the closet for about 15 minutes. When he opened it to look out, he saw his sister had "severe injuries to her face," according to the statement. He then tackled the man and escaped the house with his sister. The brother estimates they were held at the house under threat for about two hours.
"We've had instances in cases with him before for similar types of domestic violence issues," said Stromberg. "He currently has a warrant for his arrest for similar issues stemming from an incident from last year at this same residence."
Stromberg described Taren as a "frequent flyer" who is "very familiar to law enforcement." According to court records, previous charges against Taren include assault of a peace officer, aggravated kidnapping and more.
Contributing: Stuart Johnson, KSL TV; Graham Dudley, KSL.com
