Ax-wielding man terrorizes Murray neighborhood

"He's hacking away at my air conditioner trying to get into my home. He's screaming a lot of things at police. … He says, 'I'm not going back to jail, Shoot me.' He wanted them to shoot him," Land's wife said.

After awhile, Woodhead threw the hatchet to the ground, but then held a knife to his throat, Land said. Police tried several ways to end the standoff — including spraying him with a garden hose, shooting him with a bean bag gun and using a Taser — but all methods were ineffective. Police even carried a K-9 onto the roof.

After about an hour, Woodhead, who was now soaking wet, got cold and officers were able to talk him into surrendering without further incident, Bass said. He was taken to a local hospital to be treated for unspecified injuries and then booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, criminal mischief and other charges.

Bass said investigators believe the man was "under the influence of something."

Land agreed that the man definitely seemed to be high on something, noting that he acted like Superman on the roof. The bean bag gun and Tasers did not seem to faze him, he said.

Utah state court records show Woodhead has a history of drug- and theft-related charges. In August, he was found guilty of misdemeanor unlawful detention and assault. In 2011, he was convicted of a couple of drug-related charges that were amended to misdemeanors. Also in 2011, a protective order was filed against him by his roommate claiming cohabitant abuse. In 2010, he was convicted of misdemeanor theft.

Surveying his roof after the incident was over, Land looked over his damaged swamp cooler, which was pushed to one side. He tried gluing the top part of his chimney back together, which had broken by the stranger. He spotted the remains of the Taser wires and prongs left on his roof, which he picked up and planned to keep as a souvenir of the unusual ordeal.

Land said he originally took the day off of work to host his granddaughter's birthday party. Now, he said, he had a little cleanup to do before the party.

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