Man armed with hatchet held ex-girlfriend and two others hostage in hotel room, police say

SALT LAKE CITY — A man is being accused of taping a hatchet to his arm and holding three people hostage in a hotel room for several hours.

Larry Eugene Boyce, 53, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on first-degree felony charges of aggravated kidnapping and misdemeanor charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, providing police officers false personal info, and unlawfully possessing a dangerous weapon, according to the police affidavit.

The Salt Lake City Police Department reported that officers responded to a weapons call at Motel 6 on 176 W. 600 South Tuesday morning. When officers arrived, they were told by two victims that Boyce was in a motel room with a hatchet taped to his hand and holding another victim hostage.

According to the affidavit, officers got Boyce to open the door for them. Officers reported finding blue tape on Boyce’s hand but no hatchet. A male victim, who was still inside the room with Boyce, told officers, “he had hid the hatchet underneath one of the beds in the room,” which officers found.

The affidavit stated that one of the victims inside the room was Boyce’s ex-girlfriend, who said she and Boyce were in an “on again, off again” relationship. The ex-girlfriend told officers that Boyce commanded her to stay inside the hotel bathroom for about five to six hours.

“She stated he told her to stay quiet and remain in the bathroom, she also stated at one point she asked to leave in which the (Boyce) told her no and to remain in the bathroom,” the affidavit stated.

The ex-girlfriend told police she thought she was placed in the bathroom at midnight or 1 a.m. until officers arrived at 5:45 p.m.

The man and another female victim told police they allowed the ex-girlfriend and Boyce into their hotel room around midnight. They said about an hour later, Boyce became agitated and paranoid and pulled out a hatchet from his backpack.

According to the affidavit, the two victims said that Boyce “continually checked the peephole to the room and told all members to stay inside.”

The two victims begged to leave the room several times, but Boyce would “swing the hatchet around and tell them to stay put and would not allow them to leave keeping himself between the door and the victims,” the affidavit stated.

Officers reported searching Boyce, finding “crack cocaine … drug paraphernalia, needles, and a tutor straw made from a pen.” The affidavit stated that Boyce lied to officers about his name, is a category two restricted person, and has two felony warrants for violating protective orders.

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Domestic violence resources

If you or someone you know is going through abuse, help is available.

• The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).
• Resources are also available online at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.
• YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
• Utah’s statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233