A Utah police officer was fatally struck by a semi-truck driven by Michael Aaron Jayne 41 who has a lengthy criminal record including multiple counts of assaulting law enforcement. The incident occurred during a traffic stop over the weekend when Jayne fled and then turned around to drive the wrong way on the highway striking the Santaquin police officer’s vehicle and a Utah Highway Patrol vehicle.
“Our entire department is hurt and the family of the officer is hurt,” Santaquin Police Lt. Mike Wall said at a press conference. “Because of a senseless act by one individual we have family members who will miss their father at their nearing wedding. But I can assure you that we as a police department will stand up and will be there and we are one family.”
Jayne’s criminal history includes a 2009 conviction in Oregon for two counts of attempted aggravated murder and two counts of first-degree assault after attempting to cause a head-on collision with a police vehicle during a chase. He also faced 17 counts in California for assaulting correctional officers and making criminal threats while incarcerated in Shasta County where he was written up 35 times for disciplinary issues.
Following the fatal incident, Jayne allegedly stole multiple vehicles to evade law enforcement before being arrested. The Santaquin officer whose name has not been released died at the scene.
