West Valley Officer Injured After Being Dragged By Fleeing Suspect
Oct 22, 2020, 4:21 PM | Updated: 7:22 pm
FILE PHOTO
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah – An officer with the West Valley City Police Department was injured after being dragged by a truck that fled the scene of a suspicious vehicle call.
The incident happened just after 3 a.m. Thursday, when police were called to a church parking lot at 6710 West 4145 South where the truck had been idling for a couple of hours.
“As officers approached the vehicle, they could see drug paraphernalia inside,” police said. “They were also able to identify a handgun holster and magazine in close proximity to the driver.”
According to a police news release, officers identified themselves and tried to remove the driver from the car. That’s when the driver put the truck in gear and drove off from the area. The release said one of the officers was stuck in the door and was dragged a short distance before freeing himself.
The suspect in the incident where an officer was dragged by a vehicle, Anthony James Pearson (7-19-94), was booked on multiple charges including aggravated assault on an officer, fleeing and possession of drugs and a stolen vehicle. pic.twitter.com/kASSmcoP40
— WVC Police (@WVCPD) October 23, 2020
He rolled away from the truck so he would not be run over. The officer had cuts to his head and injured his shoulder, hip and leg, officials said. He was taken to a hospital, treated and released.
The driver rammed two police units as he fled. “One vehicle was struck on the front passenger side front bumper/fender area and sustained a flat tire. The other vehicle was struck head-on and pushed through the parking lot, across the street, and up on a resident’s front lawn area,” police said.
The truck was found later at 8:20 a.m. in a field near 6200 West King Valley Road. When police showed up at that scene, the driver ran.
Police found the suspect a short time later. Police identified the suspect as Anthony Pearson Thursday night. They said he was booked into jail on charges of aggravated assault on an officer, fleeing and possession of drugs and a stolen vehicle.
The truck had been reported as stolen out of Unified Police Department’s jurisdiction.
