PAYSON — Police say they have arrested a teenager who allegedly attacked a group of preschool kids and a man on Friday, prompting a citywide shelter-in-place order in Payson.
Officers identified the 17-year-old with the help of leads from the public. At 4 a.m., the teen “chose to turn himself in” and was arrested and booked into the Slate Canyon Youth Detention Center without incident, Payson Police Sgt. Noemi Sandoval said in a statement.
Because he is not an adult, the teenager’s name was not released.
The manhunt had begun about 10:30 a.m. Friday, when Payson police were called to the area of 600 East and 500 North on a report of a “disturbance,” police said. A woman said a man was striking her neighbor in the head and body with a sledgehammer.
“The woman called out to the suspect to stop. The suspect then turned his attention to her and walked toward her home, which is also a day care facility,” police said Friday.
Between five and six children — all 5 years old or younger — suffered mostly superficial wounds. They were all taken to a local hospital where they received treatment, she said. None were seriously injured, according to police.
Residents were asked to shelter in place in their homes as police looked for the attacker throughout the afternoon.
The man who was attacked with a sledgehammer was taken to a hospital, where he remained in critical condition on Saturday, according to Sandoval.
“Payson Police Department would like to extend our sincere gratitude toward all the surrounding law enforcement agencies that responded and assisted in the investigation of this incident. We would equally like to extend our gratitude to citizens who aided the investigations by reviewing home video surveillance and relayed any information they felt might aid in finding the suspect in this case,” Sandoval said in the statement.
“Payson Police continues to send our thoughts to the victims impacted by this senseless act of violence perpetrated against them.”
The 17-year-old was booked for investigation of attempted aggravated murder, aggravated assault, aggravated child abuse, child abuse, burglary, obstruction of justice, criminal trespass and disorderly conduct, according to police.