Dirt bike rider at state capitol in custody after injuring UHP trooper
May 22, 2021, 8:56 AM | Updated: Dec 29, 2022, 12:14 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A man who rode his dirt bike up onto the grounds of Utah’s state capitol early Saturday morning is under arrest. Utah Highway Patrol trooper Colton Freckleton told KSL Newsradio that troopers got the call around 1:51 a.m. Saturday.
“Troopers located him driving around on the east side of the capitol. Two troopers made contact with the subject to tell him he couldn’t be on the property grounds with his dirt bike. The subject then fled from them,” according to Trooper Freckleton.
Freckleton says during an attempt to stop the dirt bike rider at the capitol, one of the troopers stepped in front of the motorcycle. Freckleton says the suspect then accelerated, running into the trooper, who wound up with a serious wound to the leg.
“One of the troopers placed himself in the position to try and stop the suspect, but the subject accelerated and ran into the trooper,” according to Trooper Freckleton.
He says that subject had a previous run-in with Salt Lake police when he fled the scene of what is thought to have been a traffic stop. He was taken into custody initially on driving under the influence, but more charges could come, according to Freckleton.
The trooper who was injured should be OK, in addition to an injured leg, he suffered a sprained wrist.
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