SALT LAKE CITY – A Salt Lake City man says twice this week he’s been shouted at and threatened for not buying drugs while on his way to a post office.
Peter Zappe said he walks to a downtown Salt Lake City post office nearly every day to send his military wife a letter, and he said two times this week someone tried to sell him drugs and then became aggressive when Zappe refused.
The first incident occurred Wednesday, Zappe said, and the second on Friday—with Friday’s incident ending with an arrest.
Zappe said the man he encountered in the area near 500 West 200 South threatened to hurt him, which is why he waited until police arrived in the area to make his trip on Friday. The area is near a bus stop that was removed by UTA officials due to safety concerns--which included alleged drug deals.
Zappe said the situation is a dangerous one: “This is very disconcerting because what happens when the guy has a gun? What happens when the guy has a knife? What happens when it’s a kid in middle school? They’re not discriminating against anybody. They’re not trying to sell me drugs. They’re just trying to push their drugs."
Police officials said they made an arrest in the area for disorderly conduct and interfering with an arrest.
Zappe said he will continue to use the route to reach the post office; he said he won’t allow a few people to scare him away from a neighborhood.
