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ST. GEORGE — One man is in jail after a traffic stop for equipment violations quickly turned into a life or death struggle for two officers in Washington City on Friday night.
A patrol officer in Washington City had conducted a traffic stop in the 500 block of East Telegraph Street shortly before 5:30 p.m. for a number of equipment and plate violations. And according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, the responding officer called in a K-9 unit while speaking to the driver, speaking to the driver, 48-year-old Jay Scott Taylor.
During a free-air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle, the report states, the animal indicated the possible presence of narcotics.
Officers then attempted to detain the suspect so a search could be conducted on the vehicle, but as they did so, Taylor reportedly started to fight with the officers. The scuffle continued on the ground, the report states, and the suspect attempted to grab one of the officer's duty weapons.
Both of the suspect's hands were on the sergeant's pistol, the officer noted, "trying to disarm him."
During the commotion, Taylor attempted to grab another officer's Taser that was secured in a holster on the officer's thigh, and somehow, he was able to break free from police. Taylor reportedly jumped to his feet and ran in the direction of his vehicle where he grabbed a backpack from the front seat of the car.
Read the full article at St. George News.
KSL's Southern Utah News Section
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