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Man acting irrationally found to be hit-and-run victim; officer injured after SUV hits police car

Posted at 4:48 PM, Sep 29, 2016
and last updated 2016-09-29 18:48:32-04

WEST JORDAN, Utah – Three people including a West Jordan police officer were hospitalized early Thursday morning after an unusual sequence of events.

Things began around 12:30 a.m. near 8600 South and Redwood Road when police received reports of a man who was acting irrationally and trying to get inside a few cars and at least one home.

Police arrived to find a 21-year-old man incoherent and bloody. Ethan Roche was initially combative, police said, and officers used a Taser to subdue him.

“He was acting very strangely,” said Lt. Drew Sanders with West Jordan PD. “He had actually accosted a lady in a car, trying to get in her car, and tried crawling under her car and tried getting in a house and several things like this.”

After the man was subdued and given medical treatment, police said they realized he had likely been the victim in a hit and run crash. As officers were looking for clues in that case, they blocked a portion of Redwood Road.

One of the police cruisers creating the road block was hit by a white SUV, and the impact of the crash sent the cruiser into an officer standing behind the vehicle. That officer suffered a head injury.

The driver of the SUV, identified as 36-year-old Trenton Royer, required medical attention after the crash. Police said while there were no obvious signs of impairment, the cause of the crash is being investigated.

“We are investigating all the different possibilities that go along with that,” Sgt. Joe Monson, West Jordan PD, said. “It is concerning to us that somebody would come upon a scene with multiple police cars there with lights on and run into a patrol car.”

All three people involved in the incidents ended up having to be hospitalized. Roche is listed in stable condition Thursday.

The injured police officer is listed in good condition but likely suffered a concussion.

Royer remains hospitalized, and his exact condition is unclear.