West Valley City police arrested a knife-wielding, possibly drug-crazed man after he allegedly stabbed a convenience store clerk multiple times early Monday morning.
Public safety dispatchers say the incident began as a “welfare check” prompted by a 2:32 a.m. 911 call about the enraged suspect screaming while pounding on garbage cans outside the Maverik store at 3112 S. Redwood Road.
However, while police were en route the suspect purportedly entered the store and attacked the female clerk. Before police arrived, two men who were making a delivery to the store stopped the assault by trapping the suspect inside the store’s office.
The clerk was rushed to the hospital, where she reportedly was in serious condition but expected to recover.
Arriving officers had to use both a police dog and a pepper-ball gun to finally take the combative suspect into custody. Even after he was handcuffed, the suspect continued to be combative, fighting, biting and spitting on officers, police reported.
The man, 33, had entered guilty pleas in June to multiple misdemeanor counts of credit card fraud as well as attempted aggravated assault.