This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A man was shot by the Utah Highway Patrol overnight after he allegedly tried to evade police for more than an hour and then pointed a gun at them.
The man was expected to survive Sunday.
South Salt Lake Police spokesman Gary Keller said the man was identified as Kody Scott Sturgeon, 35, of Salt Lake City. Police said he initially used a different identity.
Keller said a UHP trooper pulled Sturgeon over on southbound Interstate 15 near 1300 South at about 1:40 a.m. after he noticed a red 1999 Pontiac Grand Am driving erratically.
When the trooper returned to his vehicle, he noticed Sturgeon and his 32-year-old girlfriend of Eagle Mountain start arguing inside the vehicle. The female then stepped out of the vehicle and onto the freeway, forcing the trooper to rescue her, Keller said.
As the trooper was rescuing the woman, Sturgeon drove off.
Keller said there was no pursuit, but the officers in the area started searching for the vehicle.
They located the vehicle abandoned in a parking lot about 3 a.m. near 2400 S. Main St. in South Salt Lake.
As officers combed the area for the man, Keller said Sturgeon located a man who was at his storage unit.
Sturgeon told the man that he had a gun and didn't want to hurt him, but needed a spot to hide from police, Keller said.
Sturgeon then fled to about 50 West 2400 South where he was spotted by a UHP trooper, Keller said.
He said Sturgeon pointed his gun at the trooper, who fired multiple times.
Sturgeon was struck in the hand and thigh, but is expected to survive, Keller said. When he's released from the hospital, he'll be transported to the Salt Lake County jail on suspicion of multiple crimes.
No officers were injured, and Keller said it appears Sturgeon did not fire his gun.
The trooper was placed on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation by South Salt Lake police and the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.
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