Police: Suspected Shoplifter In Critical Condition After Struggle Outside SLC Store
May 2, 2019, 10:16 PM | Updated: 10:41 pm
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A suspected shoplifter was in critical condition late Thursday and police said he may not survive, following a struggle outside a store involving workers and witnesses.
The man entered ACE Hardware, 612 E. 400 S., after 7:00 p.m., concealed some items and started to walk out, according to detectives, when the workers confronted the man near the store’s entrance.
Salt Lake City Police Lt. Justin Hudson said the struggle ensued at that point and continued into the parking lot, where two bystanders joined in to help the workers.
UPDATE: Police say because detained suspected shoplifter was handcuffed by officers while he was injured/suffering a medical issue, OICI protocol was invoked; man still in critical condition at last update @KSL5TV #KSLTV #Utah
— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) May 3, 2019
“They got the male to the ground,” Hudson said. “Once the officers got here, they were going to let the male up and he was unresponsive.”
Hudson said the man’s condition temporarily improved after CPR, but then worsened again.
“It didn’t appear he had many injuries on him from the struggle itself, so we assumed a medical condition or something due to the struggle, but we’re not exactly sure what caused him to stop breathing,” Hudson said.
Hudson said officers were questioning the four people involved in the struggle as well as all other witnesses.
Investigators say the man’s identity was unknown.