‘He just choked me out,’ Bluffdale teen recalls confrontation, before fatal police shooting
Dec 10, 2022, 9:21 PM | Updated: May 21, 2023, 4:29 pm
BLUFFDALE, Utah — A Bluffdale teen says a man choked him, causing him to pass out, in an unprovoked attack on Saturday leading to a deadly police shooting.
Easton Lyons, 17, was trying to get his friend’s attention by knocking on his window at their apartment complex, Beacon Hill Apartments. Lyons said another neighbor then put both his hands around his neck.
“He was getting all crazy with me, saying, ‘Don’t knock on that window,’” Lyons said. “But I was like, ‘What (are) you (going to) do about it?’ Then he just choked me out.”
Lyons said he passed out, and red marks are still visible on his neck.
Easton Lyons, 17, showing the alleged red marks left by the 31-year-old deceased suspect. (KSL-TV)
About an hour later, around 12:45 p.m., the Saratoga Springs Police Department said the 31-year-old man returned. He confronted police with a weapon, although they didn’t provide additional details of the encounter.
Tasing the man did not work, so ultimately, an officer fired two shots, killing him, according to police.
Lyons said he knew his attacker and said he used to be “really nice.” The man lived in the same apartment complex, and they’d sometimes work out together in the apartment gym.
“I was like, this guy is a whole different guy,” Lyons said. “I don’t even know him like that. This guy is crazy.”
A task force led by the Salt Lake City Police Department with officers from multiple agencies is handling the investigation.
“I would just emphasize that the suspect who was shot by officers does have a criminal history, including weapons violations,” said Chief Andrew Burton of the Saratoga Springs Police Department.
