Salt Lake police officers fought to keep a bathroom door shut Saturday night while a man inside tried to attack them with part of a toilet.
Police were called to a bar at 108 S. 500 West after patrons reported that a man had sexually assaulted a woman who had been sleeping in an upstairs storage room.A bartender tried to kick the man out of the bar, but the man refused to leave. The bartender followed him into the bathroom and the man struck him over the head several times with a ceramic toilet tank cover, according to police reports.
Police arrived and cleared all patrons from the area. One officer opened the door to peek into the bathroom when the man came after the officer with the sharp-edged portion of the toilet. The officer retreated and held the door shut.
Police later sprayed cayenne pepper gas into the bathroom to subdue him, but the man continually attacked the officers and hit the door with the toilet cover, the reports state.
Finally, an officer grabbed a chair and used it to pin the man against the wall and grabbed the ceramic weapon.