Highway patrol looking for gunman who fired at trooper on Friday

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Highway Patrol was looking Friday for a gunman who fired several rounds at one of its troopers late Thursday.

A trooper was sitting in his marked vehicle, parked in the median on I-80 near Saltair, when he heard gunshots just after 11 p.m., said UHP Lt. Jeff Nigbur.

"He's sitting there and he hears, 'pop, pop, pop,'" Nigbur said. "Then he believes he hears rounds going over his patrol vehicle."

The trooper shined a light on the nearby frontage road and spotted a dark vehicle take off eastbound at a high rate of speed, he said.

The trooper attempted to follow the vehicle by driving parallel with it on I-80 while the other car was on the frontage road. The dark vehicle was traveling over 100 mph, Nigbur said, and the trooper's Chevy Tahoe was having a tough time keeping up.

The trooper had hoped to catch up with the vehicle at 7200 West where the frontage road ended. But the driver of the vehicle apparently turned off the headlights, circled back around and traveled west, Nigbur said.

All available Salt Lake County troopers along with West Valley police searched the area but could not find the vehicle.

Anyone with information is asked to call the UHP at 801-887-3800.

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