UHP: Pedestrian On I-15 Taken Into Custody After Advancing On Trooper

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Authorities arrested a man after he reportedly attacked a trooper while walking on I-15, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.

UHP Sgt. Mary Kay Lucas said troopers responded to calls of a pedestrian walking on the interstate at approximately 9:30 p.m. Monday. A trooper responded to the 400 South offramp in the Rio Grande area where he encountered a man man carrying a backpack.

Lucas said the pedestrian abruptly dropped the bag and began to aggressively advance toward the trooper’s vehicle. The trooper exited the car and commanded the man to go toward the front of the cruiser, but the pedestrian reportedly walked up to the trooper and swept his hand toward the trooper’s face.

The move knocked the trooper’s earpiece from his ear, Lucas said. The trooper then pressed the emergency button on his radio and called for assistance.

Additional troopers responded and the man was taken into custody. The pedestrian could face charges of assault on an officer, resisting arresting, pedestrian on freeway, as well as additional potential charges, officials said.

Lucas said it’s not clear why the man was on the freeway, and sometimes people can get disoriented when they’re trying to walk somewhere. She added that it’s illegal to be on the freeway as a pedestrian.