WEST JORDAN — West Jordan police officer Bryant Behunin reached for the emergency button on his radio, notifying other officers that he was in trouble.
But how fast backup officers could get to him was unknown.
Behunin had just been sucker punched by a man wanted for burglary.
"All of a sudden, out of nowhere, he was struck in the face," said West Jordan Police Lt. Dean Waters.
The man continued to punch the officer in the face multiple times.
"He knocked the officer to the ground and then got on top of him, continuing to punch him in the face," a Salt Lake County Jail report states.
Behunin, with blood covering his face, received stitches at a local hospital and was treated for a large goose egg on his forehead. But if not for others in the room who intervened — family members who police say had also been injured by the man — Waters believes the outcome may have been more serious.
"There's a good possibility without their help, the officer would have been hurt worse," he said.
Pete Tiafaaofo Gatoloai, 22, was arrested for investigation of aggravated assault on a police officer, interfering with an arresting officer, theft, automobile theft, domestic violence, criminal mischief and domestic violence in front of a child.
But just as concerning to officers is that the alleged attack came just three days after Gatoloai was released from jail for allegedly attacking another police officer. And that arrest came six days after he allegedly assaulting yet another officer — making three separate arrests for assault on a police officer in just three weeks.
On Sept. 24, a Salt Lake police officer attempted to arrest the 5-foot-10, 215-pound Gatoloai near 1699 W. North Temple after he allegedly ate food inside a store and refused to pay for it. But when the officer approached him, Gatoloai "charged the officer and picked him up and threw him to the floor" and then punched him in the head, according to a report.
"The fight continued and (Gatoloai) struck the officer several more times with his fist and kicked him in the chest," the report states.
Gatoloai was booked into jail, but he was released later that same day because of jail overcrowding, according to jail records.
Six days later, on Sept. 30, while Salt Lake police were attempting to arrest Gatoloai in connection with a burglary case near 1768 W. 1300 North, Gatoloai "grabbed one officer by the neck," according to a report. Officers also noted that Gatoloai "did not make any sense and was not in touch with reality."
On Oct. 4, Gatoloai was released from jail because the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office had not filed any charges against him.
On Oct. 5, Gatoloai went to his uncle's house in West Jordan, told him he was homeless and asked if he could stay the night, according to a police report. When the uncle woke up, his car, TV, Xbox, Wii, a phone and "hundred of dollars in food" were gone, police said.
While Behunin was taking a report from the uncle about the stolen items and was just about to leave, there was a knock at the door. It was Gatoloai who had returned to the house. As the officer was getting ready to take the man into custody, he was attacked, Waters said.
"The suspect repeatedly hit the officer in the face, over and over. The officer was knocked to the ground. (Gatoloai) was on top of the officer and again, continued to hit the officer in the face," he said.
With help from the uncle and another family members, Behunin was able to regain his footing and used pepper spray on Gatoloai to take him into custody. Waters called those family members — some who were also allegedly punched by Gatoloai — "instrumental" in helping Behunin until backup officers could arrive.
The struggle left a "basketball size hole" in one wall and "a large amount of blood on the officer's face, all over the carpet and walls of the home," according to the report.
Both Salt Lake and West Jordan police say attacks on police officers during seemingly routine calls seem to have become more frequent. The attitude towards law enforcement in general, has grown increasingly negative.
"This is a reminder to the public of how dangerous our job can be and how in a second things can turn bad on us," said Waters who noted that officers take reports all the time, "and the next thing you know he's being assaulted heavily."
Salt Lake Police Sgt. Brandon Shearer said there's been a "signficant increase" in attacks on officers. Yet "officers are still out there working hard trying to do their best to keep people safe," he said.
A random look at Monday's Salt Lake County Jail log, which records everyone booked into the jail over a 24-hour period, showed that three people had been arrested during that time for assaulting an officer. All three cases involved West Valley police officers.
Just before 12:30 a.m. Sunday, police were called to break up a fight between two sisters in a parking lot. At least one of the women had been drinking heavily, according to a report. As officers attempted to handcuff one of the sisters, she "started to struggle violently." When the woman was taken to the ground, she "kicked an officer in the face twice," the report states. After pepper spray was used and backup arrived, the woman allegedly "kicked three other officers."
That same day, police were called to a business near 1741 W. 3600 South where a man was applying for credit. The teller was purposely stalling because she believed he was providing her with false information, according to the report. As the man became impatient, he allegedly pulled a gun on the teller who then hit a panic alarm at her counter, notifying police. Responding officers spotted the man running from the scene and noticed what they believed was a gun in his waistband, the report states.
The man ran into a nearby fast food restaurant and attempted to hide in the bathroom. An officer confronted the man at gunpoint and then deployed a Taser.
"The Taser did not have the desired effect and a fight ensued," police wrote in a report.
While struggling with the man, "he grabbed at my testicles, tearing my pants," the officer wrote.
During a third incident, officers responding to a domestic violence call deployed Tasers and arrested a man who "head butted an officer and bit another," a report states. When the man was taken to a local hospital to be treated for injuries he sustained during his arrest, he threatened to kill the medical staff and security guards, and then threatened to find where the arresting officer lived and kill his wife and mother, the report states.
West Valley Police Chief Lee Russo said after reviewing data from the past couple of years, simple assaults against police officers in his city are down. But more severe aggravated assaults against officers increased from 2014 to 2015. Russo also noted that "the majority of assaults against police officers have been physical assaults and did not involve a weapon."
On Tuesday, Gatoloai was charged in 3rd District Court with assault against a police officer, a third-degree felony, theft, a third-degree felony, and four other misdemeanors in connection with the West Jordan incident.
Prosecutors noted in charging documents that due to pending charges on the other assault cases, they requested a higher-than-normal bail for this type of incident, $50,000.
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