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WEST JORDAN — A man who told police he had taken a lot of drugs and had not slept for 10 days was arrested Sunday and accused of driving into oncoming traffic and hitting a police vehicle and another car — possibly on purpose, according to police.
Nephi Daniel Bronson, 26, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated assault targeting law enforcement, DUI, aggravated assault, failing to stop at the command of police, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and interfering with an arresting officer.
The odd series of events began Sunday afternoon when an off-duty Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy came across a vehicle near 6400 West and 8200 South that had gone off the road and crashed into a yield sign. The deputy noted that the driver was "on top of the vehicle dancing," according to a police booking affidavit.
The off-duty deputy was in an unmarked car, but turned on his emergency red and blue lights and stepped out of his car wearing a vest that identified him as an officer. The deputy approached Bronson to find out what happened.
Bronson stated that "he had crashed, was hearing voices" and that "he had not slept for 10 days and had taken meth recently," the affidavit states.
Bronson then got back into his car and drove off, ignoring the deputy's commands to stop, and drove the wrong way on 8200 South, the affidavit states. He then turned around and drove the wrong way again and allegedly hit the unmarked police car the deputy was in, then hit a second vehicle. No serious injuries from those crashes were reported.
After the second crash, police said they were able to get close enough to Bronson that they could use a Taser on him and arrest him. When medical crews arrived on scene to treat Bronson for his injuries, he stated that "he was trying to hit more vehicles but they were all running away from him. (Bronson) used the word 'premeditated,' meaning he was intentionally trying to hit vehicles on the road," according to the affidavit.
Bronson was taken to a local hospital before being booked into jail. While at the hospital, doctors asked him what drugs he had taken and Bronson replied, "All of them," the affidavit says.
