ST. GEORGE — A West Valley City Police officer was killed early Sunday morning while attempting to deploy tire spikes to stop a suspected stolen vehicle during police pursuit.
Preliminary examination by authorities indicates Officer Cody Brotherson, 25, was outside of his vehicle near 4100 South and Redwood Road in WEst Valley City, attempting to deploy the spikes when the suspect vehicle veered toward police and hit him.
The initial pursuit of three suspects began after an officer saw a suspicious vehicle stopped in the area of 4100 South Redwood Road, West Valley City, Sunday morning, a news release from the Police Department states. The officer saw three people heading toward the Boulder Pines Apartment Complex at 1535 W. 4040 South.
Officers in the area responded and reported seeing the suspects steal a vehicle from the parking lot of the apartment complex. Police attempted to stop the vehicle, the news release states, but the suspects fled westbound on 4100 South in the allegedly stolen vehicle with police in pursuit.
After hitting Brotherson, the vehicle proceeded westbound on 4100 South until it left the road and came to rest north of the roadway.
Responding officers immediately called for medical assistance to attend to Brotherson, to no avail.
“Three suspects are in custody,” the news release states. “They are being questioned to determine their level of involvement in the incident.”
According to the Police Department, Brotherson has been with the department since December 2013. He was a native of West Valley City, and is survived by his parents, two brothers and a fiancée.
This is the first line-of-duty death for the West Valley City Police Department since it was formed in 1980, the news release said.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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