Kearns man charged with posing as police officer, assaulting 3 men

SALT LAKE CITY — A Kearns man is charged with impersonating a police officer and assaulting three bystanders at gunpoint in a scuffle that got him shot in the foot.

Franklin Huff, 30, is charged with three counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, and impersonating an officer, a class B misdemeanor, according to charges filed Thursday in 3rd District Court.

According to the charges, Huff approached three men standing outside a West Jordan apartment complex on July 25 and told them he was with the "sheriff's office." The men told police Huff brandished a handgun and told them he was going to kill them, charges state.

The men began to back up, but one of them tackled Huff when he put the gun back in his waistline, according to the charges. In the scuffle that ensued, Huff took the gun out again, but the man he was grappling with forced his gun hand to the ground before the firearm discharged.

The second man in the group threw the gun away from the scene while the third man fled with his girlfriend, according to police. The two remaining men held Huff down until police arrived, charges state.

It was later discovered the bullet had hit Huff's foot and the gun had jammed, charges state.

— McKenzie Romero

Twitter: @McKenzieRomero