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Police: Man assaulted Springville officer who found him inside donation bin

Posted at 4:34 PM, Feb 02, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-02 19:36:41-05

SPRINGVILLE, Utah — A man was booked into jail on charges that include assault on a police officer after he attacked an officer who found him inside a donation bin with his feet hanging out.

According to the Springville Police Department, things began just before 2 p.m. Friday in the area of 700 South Main Street as an officer was on patrol.

The officer noticed a man inside a Tabitha’s Way donation box “with just his feet hanging out.” Tabitha’s Way is a food pantry in Spanish Fork.

The officer asked the man to exit the box to speak with him. The man did not comply with commands to keep his hands out of his pockets as they talked, and during the encounter the man allegedly attacked the officer, punching him repeatedly in the face.

A citizen passing by in a vehicle stopped to help. The citizen had a concealed carry permit, the press release states, and he drew his gun and ordered the suspect to stop, at which point the suspect fled.

Officers from multiple agencies responded to the area, and nearby Cherry Creek Elementary School was placed on a lock down during the search. About 30 minutes after the assault, the suspect was found hiding under a flatbed trailer and taken into custody without further incident.

The man, later identified as Paul Douglas Anderson, was booked into jail for assault on a police officer, resisting arrest, theft, burglary and failure to stop at the command of a police officer.

The officer was taken to a hospital to be treated for a fractured orbital eye socket and lacerations to his face, according to the press release.