WATCH ABOVE: A Washington Terrace man found himself skating into several felonies after getting into a fight with a Weber County Sheriff’s Deputy Wednesday morning. Chris Jones reports.
TORONTO – A skateboarder in Utah is in some hot water after his attempt to run from police was thwarted and he ended up nearly strangling an officer to death during a scuffle.
Washington Terrace native Everett Gerdes, 23, was stopped by a Weber County Sheriff’s deputy in Ogden on Wednesday while riding his skateboard. A police report indicates that Gerdes was asked for identification before his attempt to flee was stopped.
That’s when the incident escalated and part of it was recorded by the officer’s dash camera.
Within seconds, the officer and Gerdes could be seen grappling with each other. Not only did they end up on the ground, Gerdes gained enough of an advantage to begin choking the cop.
A local doctor and an off-duty firefighter jumped in to help.
“I saw the sheriff on the ground,” local firefighter Jake McMicheals told KUTV. “I thought to myself ‘oh no, this guy needs help.'”
Lt. Lane Findlay with the Weber County Sheriff’s Office said Gerdes turned what should have been a simple warning into possible jail time. What’s more — it could have been much worse.
“It was escalating to that point where it could have easily become a deadly situation,” Findlay said.
The Sheriff’s Office has thanked the two individuals who jumped in to provide the unidentified officer with assistance.
“It’s nice to know that there are still good people in this world who would put themselves at risk to help others, even when it is a police officer,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a release.
Gerdes was booked for suspicion of assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest and prohibited activity on the roadway.
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