Utah man arrested after he fires assault rifle at police officer

A Draper man is in jail after he reportedly fired an assault rifle at a police officer — who did not return fire.

According to jail documents, a 9-year-old boy called police just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday to report a possible home invasion near 1500 E. Tumbleweed Lane. Several gunshots had been fired, the boy told police.

When an officer arrived, he “saw a white male … outside the residence” wave him past the house to the home next door. The officer wrote that he drove past the man’s house, “thinking he was pointing me in the direction of the shots being fired.”

The officer did not see any evidence of shots fired at neighboring houses, and he parked nearby. He and his police dog approached the man, who was pointing a weapon — “which appeared to be an AR-15” assault rifle — into his garage. According to the officer, he identified himself and ordered the man to drop his rifle. The man replied, “They are in the house with weapons.” When the officer again ordered the man to drop his gun, the man turned and pointed the rifle at the officer.

The officer wrote that he drew his weapon, pointed it at the man and, for the third time, ordered him to drop his gun — and the man fired at him, missing.

“I ducked behind cover,” the officer wrote, and called back his police dog because the man’s 9-year-old son was hiding under a vehicle about 5 feet away from the man. The man and his son ran to the house across the street; the boy went inside and the man remained in the front yard. The officer continued to order the man to drop his weapon, which he eventually did and was taken into custody.

According to the probable cause statement, the man’s speech was “rapid” and he “seemed to be under the influence of some sort of narcotic.” The man’s ex-wife told police he has “a history of using methamphetamine,” and when he does, he “becomes paranoid and sees things that [are] not there.”

Police didn’t find anyone in the man’s house, but investigators found bullet holes in the man’s vehicle, and the rear window had been broken out.

The 49-year-old man was booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of attempted murder, aggravated assault, endangering a child, intoxication and other charges. He is being held without bail.