Man arrested after allegedly trying to disarm officer

SALT LAKE CITY — A man who police say tried to disarm an officer, which resulted in a shot being fired, was arrested over the weekend.

About 1:45 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to the area of 1500 E. Westminster Ave. (1900 South) on a report of a woman screaming, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Shawn Josephson. Just as the first arriving officer stepped out of his patrol car to find out what was happening, a man jumped out of some nearby bushes and attempted to tackle him without warning.

During the ensuing struggle, the man attempted to grab the officer's gun. The gun went off while it was still at least partially in the holster, Josephson said. No one was struck by the round.

As the officer fought to restrain the man, two nearby citizens ran over to help, Josephson said. They helped the officer pin the man to the ground until he was able to put handcuffs on him. Backup officers arrived a short time later.

William Black, 20, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of disarming a police officer, aggravated assault, disturbing the peace and public intoxication. Josephson said detectives believe Black was under the influence of something other than alcohol, but as of Monday weren't sure what drug he might have taken.

Investigators never found the woman who was allegedly screaming, he said. They also weren't sure, as of Monday, what Black was doing prior to attacking the officer.

— Pat Reavy, Twitter: DNewsCrimeTeam