Authorities were called to the Fairpark home of Andrew Johnson 26 times over the past five years, according to Salt Lake police records.
But none of those visits had a deadly ending like Thursday's, when Johnson, 27, slipped into a coma as five Salt Lake police officers restrained him.
Previous calls involved domestic disputes, medical problems, psychiatric problems and welfare checks, according to police. Before Thursday, the last time police were dispatched to Johnson's home was during a May 1999 family dispute.
"We have some information that this gentleman had prior
problems but nothing that would suggest he was a danger," deputy district attorney Kent Morgan said.
But as the District Attorney's Office and police department conducted their investigations into the incident, Johnson's family has hired an attorney to look at a possible civil suit against the police.
"My sister sought counsel, and we really have no comment to make at this time except to say there will be further investigation," Johnson's aunt, Kelli Cummings, said.
Cummings described her nephew as a "fabulous kid" with a "great sense of humor."
Neighbors who lived near Johnson had mixed opinions. Ramona Mahana, who lives two houses east of Johnson, said he was a "sweet person" who would always help other people. Other neighbors, like Stan Sulimowicz, say Johnson was a bully with a history of trouble in the neighborhood.
Other than a handful of traffic citations, Johnson's only criminal history was a 1995 class A misdemeanor vehicle-burglary conviction. Johnson pleaded guilty to the charge and in exchange for his plea prosecutors dropped one count of attempted theft, a third-degree felony. Johnson was placed on 18 months probation and successfully completed his sentence in November 1997.
According to police accounts of Thursday's incident, Johnson's father called dispatchers saying Johnson had been on drugs for three or four days and was threatening his mother with a knife.
When two Salt Lake police officers arrived at Johnson's home near 900 West and 200 North about 3:30 p.m., they found the 300-pound man wielding a sharp knife in each hand, Police Chief Rick Dinse said.
Johnson placed the knives down for a moment but grabbed them again, forcing the officers to use pepper spray.
The pepper spray didn't work, though. With five officers now on the scene, police wrestled Johnson to the ground face first with his hands cuffed in the front. Johnson slipped into the coma after the officers uncuffed his hands and attempted to recuff them behind his back.
Dinse says from what he's seen his officers followed proper procedure.
"It was the suspect's actions that resulted in the officers' conduct at the scene," Dinse said.
The police department is conducting an internal investigation, but for now all five officers remain on duty.
The District Attorney's Office is looking at possible criminal charges against the officers.
"The District Attorney's Office is considering all facts," Morgan said. "We expect to issue a report within the next couple of weeks."
Investigators from the Medical Examiner's Office completed the initial physical exam of Johnson late Friday, but results from toxicology and other chemical tests won't be known for at least another week.
E-MAIL: djensen@desnews.com