Man started fire, then threatened arriving firefighters, police say

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SALT LAKE CITY — Police arrested a man accused of lighting some of his possessions on fire on a sidewalk, and then threatening to attack firefighters who responded.

Duane Dwight Gray, 50, who is listed in court documents as homeless, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of three counts of aggravated assault, reckless burning, transaction of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, possession of other people’s identification, interfering with an arrest and unlawful use of a transaction card.

Gray had lit some of his possessions on fire on a sidewalk, but when three firefighters attempted to put the fire out, Gray “picked up a baseball-sized rock and made motions to attempt to throw it at them,” according to a police affidavit.

Police took Gray into custody and found the rock in his pocket. Officers also discovered several knives, according to the affidavit.

“Most were pocket flip knives, but there was a foot long blade hidden in (his) sock,” police wrote.

Officers also found “multiple credit/debit cards not belonging to (Gray in) his wallet” as well as someone else’s driver’s license and another person’s Social Security card, according to the affidavit.

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Pat Reavy is a longtime police and courts reporter. He joined the KSL.com team in 2021, after many years of reporting at the Deseret News and KSL NewsRadio before that.

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