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PARK CITY — A semitruck driver accused of hitting four vehicles, including a Utah Highway Patrol car, and driving the wrong way for a short distance on Interstate 80, is now facing criminal charges.
Haitang Cui, 36, was arrested last week and charged on Monday in 3rd District Court with assault on a police officer with a weapon, a second-degree felony; four counts of aggravated assault and failing to respond to an officer's signal to stop, third-degree felonies; and assault on a health care provider, a class A misdemeanor.
On Oct. 13, in the Summit Ranch area of Parleys Canyon, Cui hit three vehicles while driving a semitruck on I-80, according to a police booking affidavit. A UHP trooper spotted the semi after the rig drove into the median.
"The driver put the semi into reverse and backed into the westbound lane of travel. The semi then pulled forward and attempted to strike my vehicle. I moved out of the way and the semi went into oncoming traffic," the arresting trooper wrote in the affidavit. "I crossed the median and pulled in front of the semi to stop the semi. The semi rammed my patrol vehicle and we came to a stop."
Cui then exited the semi with his hands in the air while saying he "needed to go to jail," according to the affidavit. "Cui had struck four vehicles including my patrol vehicle. Of the three civilian vehicles, there were seven occupants. Cui told me that he intentionally struck all four vehicles. Cui then stated that people were trying to kill him and then made suicidal threats."
Cui was taken to a local hospital for observation. While there, he allegedly hit a nurse, according to the affidavit. He was then transferred to a behavioral center for additional evaluation. He was booked into the Summit County Jail after being released from the center.
Police say Cui has also been charged in the past with assault in New York and DUI in Washington.
