Park City resident who held suspect at gunpoint speaks out

SALT LAKE CITY — A man in Park City is accused of running from sheriff's deputies and threatening his neighbors with a pair of scissors; he was eventually stopped by a resident at gunpoint and arrested at the Canyon Creek Apartments late Thursday.

KSL spoke with the resident, John Santy. He caught the scene on video with cameras he set up to keep an eye on his large dog while at work. Santy said that just after 5 p.m., he heard a loud bang, and then his roommate started screaming.

"I jump up, I come out of the bathroom and there's a guy bleeding in my kitchen," said Santy. He said the man wouldn't respond, but started pacing and opening doors. Santy reached for a gun he had hidden in his living room.

"I grabbed that, and I told him to get the 'eff' on the ground, and I said, 'Don't you move.'"

Santy said after he racked the gun, the man finally responded and put his hands in the air. Seconds later, Santy heard pounding at his front door, "I slowly backed away and looked through a peephole and, I saw that it was the sheriff's office."

Deputies swarmed the apartment and arrested the suspect.

Santy later learned that the man had run from deputies and threatened neighbors with scissors before trying to escape using the balconies. Deputies had fired bean-bag rounds at him during the chase.

Santy is a former EMT and comes from a family of police officers and firefighters; he's home from work now due to a significant injury.* Santy said he was startled but grateful to be home at the time and prepared to defend himself and his roommate.

"I didn't want this to happen, but it's something that I've trained and prepared for. I'm always happy to protect me and my community."

Deputies said they were called because of a domestic violence issue between the suspect and his girlfriend. The suspect is now in custody, awaiting charges.

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited into the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

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