This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A 37-year-old man was arrested after he allegedly assaulted an off-duty police officer and attempted to grab his gun Friday morning, police said.
The officer was driving a marked police car about 7:45 a.m. when he pulled into a convenience store's parking lot near 800 South and 900 West in Salt Lake City, but he was not in uniform, said Salt Lake City Lt. John Beener.
The man, who was already in the store, seemed to take notice of the officer when he walked in, Beener said, and began to engage in casual conversation.
Beener said the man was under the impression that he knew the officer, but the officer didn't recognize him.
The pair approached the counter to pay, and the man offered to let the officer go first. Beener said the policeman declined, so the man set his items on the counter as though he were going to check out, then turned around and rushed toward the officer.
The two knocked over a display in the convenience store, and Beener said the man reached for the officer's concealed weapon.
Someone else in the store called police, and responding officers broke up the fight, taking the man into custody.
The man was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and attempting to disarm a police officer.
Neither man was injured in the tussle.
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