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Trespassing call in Burger King bathroom leads to SWAT standoff with attempted murder suspect

Posted at 7:16 AM, Apr 17, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-17 12:47:17-04

MAGNA, Utah – A trespasser in a Burger King bathroom became the target of an armed SWAT standoff in Magna after he refused to leave and even pointed a gun at police officers.

Later police learned the same man, identified as 39-year-old Joshua Williams, was wanted in connection with an attempted murder that occurred last week in Cottonwood Heights.

Unified Police personnel at the scene said the latest incident began Tuesday around 11 p.m.  at the Burger King located at 8443 West Main Street in Magna.

Employees noticed a man who had been in the restroom for an hour or so and tried to get him to leave. He refused, so they called police.

Officers arrived and made contact with Williams and said he pulled out a gun and pointed it at officers.

Williams then retreated back into the restroom. Police tried talking him out of the bathroom  and also deployed a robot and tear gas during the course of the standoff.

The man did not come out for several hours, and police said he fired his weapon at officers at some point during the ordeal.

Williams decided to surrender between 4:30 a.m. and 5 a.m.

“He had indicated that he wanted to come out and so that was facilitated by our SWAT team," Det. Ken Mallory of Unified Police said. "They worked on getting him out of there. There was damage to the restroom door, so it required a little bit of assistance, but he did come out willingly.”

Police said Williams is wanted in connection with an attempted murder. Police said Williams fired shots inside a home near 6600 South 2600 East in Cottonwood Heights after arguing with the homeowner Friday. No one was injured in that incident and police said Williams fled the scene.

As of 7 a.m. the impact to traffic in the area was getting back to normal, and schools in the area will operate on their regular schedules.