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SALT LAKE CITY — A business owner said he was attacked by a homeless woman outside of his shop Tuesday as he called for a broader solution to ongoing problems downtown.
Scott Evans said he was helping some customers who had purchased a dresser at Euro Treasures Antiques, 470 W. 600 South, when he noticed a woman creating a commotion just down the sidewalk.
That's when Evans decided to approach the woman and say something.
"I said, 'Look, you need to go, you can't be here, you're on my property, you need to leave' — at which point she smashed me on the side of the head with a full fist," Evans told KSL-TV. "I stumbled off and she was coming at me, screaming and swearing."
Evans said a worker was eventually able to separate them and he called the police.
"I am hurt, you know," Evans said. "My neck is messed up, I've got pain in my back, I'm dizzy — it's not OK."
According to Salt Lake City police spokesman Brent Weisberg, officers aided by social workers took the woman to detox. He said she was subsequently cited for assault and public intoxication.
The shop owner has talked to KSL-TV multiple times previously about homeless problems around his property — from tents on sidewalks, public defecation and open-air drugs to threats of violence and vandalism.
"The city has been working extremely hard and we do appreciate it," Evans said. "The officers have been doing a fantastic job of trying to mitigate the issues that we've had over the past two years."
Why are we letting these people who are using these drugs and have lost their minds — why are they running loose on the streets?
–Scott Evans, business owner
Still, he was left with questions after the Tuesday afternoon encounter.
"Why are we letting these people who are using these drugs and have lost their minds — why are they running loose on the streets?" Evans asked.
Weisberg said the Salt Lake City Police Department has allocated significant manpower toward the issues downtown.
Since mid-October, under a downtown safety initiative, he said Salt Lake City police officers have dedicated 12,000 patrol hours and made nearly 5,000 referrals while arresting 168 people. He said of those arrests, 59 were related to felony crimes.
We have made a concerted effort to make sure we're being responsive to the needs of our community.
–Brent Weisberg, Salt Lake City police
"We have made a concerted effort to make sure we're being responsive to the needs of our community," Weisberg said.
Still, Weisberg acknowledged connecting those on the streets with the proper resources is time-consuming and that there is still a need for more shelter beds and treatment programs.
"I don't know the solution and I know we're trying," Evans said. "I'm 69 years old and I'm supposed to come down here and get beat up by some woman?"
Evans said he wished there was a better answer.
"It's a statewide problem, it's a federal problem," Evans said. "We need help."
