Trooper seriously hurt after falling off overpass near I-80 in Salt Lake City
Feb 13, 2024, 11:26 AM | Updated: 7:01 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Highway Patrol trooper is in serious condition after falling off a bridge while attempting to stop a suspect near Interstate 80 and 7200 West.
Sgt. Mark Wian with the Salt Lake City Police Department said officers tried to stop an SUV near 900 W. North Temple just after 10 a.m. Tuesday. Wian did not say why the SUV was initially stopped during a press conference Tuesday afternoon.
The SUV fled and later hit another officer’s car near 7200 West and 1300 South. Wian said the car had minor damage and the officer was not injured.
Sgt. Cam Roden with Utah Highway Patrol said UHP troopers were near the area on I-80 and were notified that the SUV had been located. Troopers were in the process of deploying spike strips when one of them fell from the overpass onto dirt road below. Roden did not say how far the trooper fell and said the cause of the trooper’s fall is still under investigation. He did not say if the trooper was struck by the SUV, or if any other factors led up to the trooper’s fall.
The Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter located the SUV traveling north on I-80 and followed it to a local hotel near 300 Admiral Bird Rd. There, other law enforcement units set up and successfully took the suspect into custody. The suspect was later identified by SLCPD as 34-year-old Sammy Michael Swickey.
After the arrest was made, the DPS helicopter flew back to the scene and transported the trooper to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
The Utah Department of Transportation posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, about the crash, listing the clearance time as 2:45 p.m. Police said 7200 West would be closed south of I-80 during their investigation.
Multiple law enforcement departments remained on the scene after the trooper was transported.
Swickey was booked into Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of aggravated assault against a public safety officer, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and two counts of felony fleeing.
Here’s the SUV the suspect was driving that allegedly crashed into a SLC patrol car. And the UHP trooper was trying to spike when he fell off bridge. pic.twitter.com/Pp2qMZ0ynA
— Dan Rascon (@TVDanRascon) February 13, 2024
