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.
Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News that while the scuffle between the officers and the suspect was taking place, all that could be heard over the radio was the muffled sound of some type of commotion.
When there were no calls for help, the chief said, he began to check on the officers on a dedicated radio channel. When neither responded, Williams said he requested that units be sent to the location where the traffic stop was reported.
“And sure enough,” Williams said, “the first unit to arrive saw the two officers fighting with the suspect holding a backpack.”
One of the officers still wrestling with Taylor could see a firearm in the suspect’s right hand, and when Taylor started to bring his right arm around in the direction of the second officer still struggling with Taylor, the first officer grabbed Taylor’s hand and was able to wrestle the gun away.
Multiple police units heard the commotion and made their way to the scene. As they arrived, and while the suspect was being handcuffed, officers noticed a second firearm fall from the Taylor’s backpack that was also loaded with ammunition.
A background check revealed Taylor had felony convictions out of Texas.
The suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and faces two first-degree felony counts of disarming a police officer and two counts of aggravated assault – each a third-degree felony. Following the arrest on Friday, Taylor is being held without bail.
He also faces two felony counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, as well as two counts of failing to failing to stop at command of police and one count of resisting arrest, each a misdemeanor.
When Williams arrived at the scene, he said he noticed both officers were “pretty shaken” but uninjured. He went on to say he checked on both officers over the weekend, and that today, both are working their normal shifts.
He also said that situations such as what transpired on Friday are serious for any officer, and that both were in a life or death struggle with an armed suspect, which could have been a deadly situation.
Fortunately, it was not, he said. And while his officers were left without any serious physical injuries, there can be some residual stress from that type of prolonged battle with a suspect, who he said not only attempted to disarm one of them but was presumably trying to aim a firearm at the second one.
“That is an incredible amount of stress right there,” Williams said.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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