AndrewBlakeWest Valley, UT – Two armed teenage boys tried to rob a man who was walking back to his apartment after checking his mail. They didn’t realize their target was an off-duty police officer.
The 17 year old and 15 year old both had hand guns when they approached the off-duty West Valley Police officer at about 7 p.m. on Nov. 7, and attempted to rob him, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
A gunfight ensued between the off-duty police officer and the two suspects.
“As the officer walked back home, he was confronted by two suspects armed with a handgun in what appears to be an attempted aggravated robbery in which the officer feared for his own life. During the course of this robbery, multiple rounds were fired both at the officer and by the officer. The officer was shot once. Both suspects were shot and fled the scene,” West Valley Police Spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku said.
The suspects fled the scene, and the officer reported the shooting.
Then two teenagers arrived at a local hospital with gunshot wounds. They were in a truck that matched the look-out given by the officer, police said.
According to a West Valley Police press release, a 17-year-old male was shot once, and a 15 year old had been shot twice.
The officer had a gunshot wound to his foot.
He wasn’t in uniform during the robbery and the police don’t believe that the suspects knew their intended target, or that he was a police officer, The Salt Lake Tribune reported.
The 17 year old was booked and sent to a juvenile detention facility, according to West Valley City Police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku.
The 15 year old was “still receiving medical treatment,” according to the Deseret News. Police said his injures are not life-threatening.
Charges have not yet been filed against either teen, Vainuku said.
Police have not yet released the name of the police officer or the teenage arrestees.
The officer has been on the police department for three years. He is on paid administrative leave during the investigation, the newspaper reported.