SALT LAKE CITY — Gang detectives serving an arrest warrant on a fugitive in Salt Lake City Tuesday night found themselves facing a machete-wielding man, and after an officer deployed a Taser the suspect was apprehended.
According to Salt Lake City Police Department, police were serving the warrant in the area of 1700 West and 1000 North just before 8 p.m. Tuesday, and when they arrived at the residence the suspect’s mother answered the door.
Detectives observed the suspect fleeing into a bathroom while armed with a machete, and as police approached he began swinging the machete and threatening to kill the officers, according to police.
An officer deployed a Taser and the man was taken into custody.
The suspect is identified as 40-year-old Rick Speer, and he has been booked into jail and is facing charges that include aggravated assault on a police officer and possession of meth in addition to the existing felony warrant.
