Woods Cross police officer charged with assault after shooting at fleeing truck

WOODS CROSS, Utah — A former officer with the Woods Cross Police Department is facing charges for shooting at a fleeing truck in February, according to court documents.

Officer Joshua Lindsey was formally charged on Tuesday with two third-degree felony counts of aggravated assault, and the Woods Cross Police Department confirmed Lindsey was fired in July.

According to court documents, Lindsey responded to an incident at the Manheim Auto Auction in Woods Cross on Feb. 7.

Woods Cross Police Chief Chad Soffe said Lindsey saw a pickup leaving the property near 1650 West 500 South around 4 a.m. and got out of his vehicle and attempted to speak with the driver and passenger.

Two In Custody After Police Chase From Davis To Salt Lake Counties

“They had an exchange,” Soffe said. “Shots were fired by my officer.”

A probable cause statement from February said Lindsey “felt that his life was in imminent danger” when he shot at the truck.

Court documents filed Tuesday indicate Lindsey, “while charging at a vehicle with 2 people inside trying to maneuver away from him, fired 4 shots from his 9mm Glock duty handgun. Fortunately for all concerned, the defendant’s shots hit the vehicle and missed the victims inside.”

The truck then fled the scene and officers from the Woods Cross, West Bountiful and West Valley City police departments aided in the pursuit, which ended when the pickup crashed into a chain-link fence in West Valley.

Officers said the chase reached speeds of 80 and 90 mph.

Both suspects, 28-year-old Tucker Riggs and 26-year-old Julian Nordahl were taken into custody and booked into the Davis County Jail on multiple charges.

Police said a loaded handgun was found in the truck, which had been reported stolen out of Salt Lake City.

Chief Chad Soffe with the Woods Cross Police Department later confirmed with KSL-TV that Lindsey was terminated on July 26, 2021.