MILLCREEK — Two men are in critical condition after a man suspected in a knife attack ran from police and was involved in a multiple-car accident Friday night.
Salt Lake police were investigating an aggravated assault with a knife Thursday afternoon when they spotted the man suspected in the attack driving near 2100 South Highland Drive, according to Salt Lake Police Sgt. Andrew Cluff.
“The suspect was involved in an aggravated assault at Fairmont Park,” Cluff said, “where he threatened two victims with a knife and then trying to flee the scene, almost hit one of them with a vehicle. Nobody was injured at Fairmont Park.”
Salt Lake police spotted the man suspected in the knife attack driving just west of the park.
“When they tried to initiate a stop, he fled from us in his car,” Cluff said. “And we didn’t follow. But unfortunately, his fleeing at a high rate of speed was what led to that traffic accident at 3300 South and 900 East.”
Salt Lake police last saw the suspect’s vehicle traveling southbound on 900 East, according to Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray.
The southbound light at the intersection of 3300 South and 900 East was red, and cars were stopped in both the southbound lane and the left turn lane, Gray said.
“The driver went around the cars that were stopped, and hit a pickup truck and another car that were both eastbound,” Gray said. “The pickup truck ended up on top of the (other eastbound) car.”
Both the driver of the truck and the suspect in the aggravated assault are in critical condition.
Cody Trevort, 39, is suspected of the assault, running from police and causing the multi-car accident. Normally, a police officer would be posted outside the hospital room of a suspect until he or she was healthy enough to be booked into jail.
“But because of COVID, we can’t do that,” Gray said. Instead, hospital officials will keep investigators apprised of the man’s recovery, as no one but patients and medical personnel are allowed in hospitals at this time.
Both the driver and passenger in the sedan that ended up underneath the truck sustained minor injuries. A fourth vehicle was waiting at the intersection to turn right from the northbound lanes of 900 East and sustained minor damage.