Man accused of hitting officer with golf club day after fleeing police

SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested in Cedar City on Sunday after police say he hit an officer with a golf club multiple times and tried to hit others. He allegedly fled a traffic stop the day before.

A probable cause statement said that on Saturday, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper tried to pull over a white Dodge Ram pickup truck, but the driver fled and got away. The truck was registered to  39-year-old Michael James Torp.

The statement said Torp had an arrest warrant out of Washington County for marijuana possession, and police believed he fled the traffic stop to avoid arrest.

The next day, a different officer was pulling into a gas station parking lot in Cedar City and saw a white Dodge truck pull in. He said he recognized the truck as the one that had fled the night before, and then he recognized Torp getting out of the driver’s seat, so he called for backup.

According to the statement, when Torp got back into his truck, police pulled their vehicles in front of his truck to prevent him from fleeing. The officers began giving Torp commands.

“Torp immediately exited the vehicle and moved to the bed of the pickup. He pulled out two golf clubs from the bed and started to swing them at (a deputy),” the statement said.

Police reportedly used their TASERs on Torp, but “they had no effect.” Torp then allegedly charged an officer, who fell backwards onto the ground.

“Torp struck (the deputy) three separate times with the golf club in the lower leg and ankle,” the statement said.

Torp allegedly then swung the club at more officers, who used their TASERs, but still didn’t bring him down. The statement said he finally gave up once a K-9 officer showed up and he saw the dog.

The statement said Torp was taken to the hospital and then taken to the Iron County Jail. He’s accused of five felony counts of assaulting a police officer, as well as misdemeanors for interfering with police, marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia.