Image via KSL News/YouTube
It’s always a sad day when a police officer dies in the line of duty, but when the death is completely senseless it’s just that much harder to process. That’s the case with a police officer in Santaquin, Utah who was run over intentionally by a semi-truck driver who then fled the scene of the crime.
Cop uses his cruiser to stop an ATV speeding on a footpath.
Police were finally able to track down and stop the semi all the way in Vernal, about 165 miles to the east of Santaquin. But questions remain about why the driver would do such a thing.
Originally, someone called 911 to report a person hanging onto the back of a semi’s trailer as it traveled down I-15. Officers responded and performed a traffic stop on the truck. However, at some point during that stop the driver took off.
Rather than just running away, the driver flipped his rig around, drove the wrong way on the interstate, then steered straight for the Santaquin officer as well as a trooper who were on the shoulder.
Sadly, the semi hit the officer, his cruiser, and the trooper’s cruiser, killing the officer. Then the suspect kept on driving.
From there, the guy reportedly stole multiple vehicles, one of them being a Ford F-150. That’s how he was able to make it so far from the scene of the crime.
The big question nobody seems able to answer right now is why the truck driver targeted the officer and trooper.
Utah law enforcement and fire agencies came out in force to escort and honor the fallen officer’s body as it was transported to the medical examiner’s office. So did members of the public, who lined overpasses and parking lots in a touching tribute.
Image via KSL News/YouTube
