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3 held hostage in Salt Lake City motel by man with hatchet, police say

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SALT LAKE CITY — A man armed with a hatchet was arrested after allegedly holding three people hostage, including his ex-girlfriend, inside a Salt Lake City motel room.

Larry Eugene Boyce faces charges of aggravated kidnapping and multiple others after he was taken into custody Tuesday.

Police were called to the Motel 6 at 176 West 600 South where two people said Boyce, 53, was in a room holding a victim hostage, while also having a hatchet taped to his hands.

When Boyce opened the motel room to officers, they only saw him with blue tape on his wrist. That's when another man who was in the room said the hatchet was underneath one of the beds, which police discovered.

Boyce's ex-girlfriend told police the two had an "on again off again" relationship, and said she had been told to stay in the bathroom for 5-6 hours starting at around midnight and was told to "stay quiet."

Along with the other man, another female victim was also found in the motel room. They said Boyce became "agitated and paranoid" before swinging his hatchet when they begged to leave. Boyce also allegedly kept himself between the door and the victims during the ordeal.

During a search of the room, police found Boyce had crack cocaine, along with other drug paraphernalia such as needles and a straw made from a pen.

Arrest documents show that Boyce is a Category 2 restricted person with a previous felony domestic violence conviction.