Motel security guard pulls Salt Lake officer from burning patrol car
SALT LAKE CITY UT January 12 2021— A Salt Lake police officer whose patrol car caught fire following a crash early Saturday suffered only minor injuries, thanks to the quick thinking of two brave bystanders who pulled the unconscious officer from his vehicle.
When they heard the collision just before 4 a.m., a security guard and clerk working at the downtown Motel 6 spotted a fire under the patrol car at 600 South and 200 West.
A large commercial-sized vehicle had hit the officer’s car at the intersection after possibly running a red light, said Salt Lake Police Lt. Bill Manzanares.
The collision knocked the officer unconscious and his car ignited.
Joseph Daniel, the security guard, said he saw a fire below the car begin to creep up under the hood. He rushed over to the car and found the police officer was trapped inside, semi-conscious and with a bloodied face, he said.
“I screamed at him that the car was on fire,” Daniel continued, but the door was jammed and the officer couldn’t get out.
“He was beating on the window. I asked him to get a baton, and he was looking for it. I ripped the door handle off and I think that got the door lose a little bit, cause the door was crushed from the wreck. It got open from there.”
Meanwhile, the clerk grabbed hold of a fire extinguisher to put out the blaze, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Keith Horrocks.
If the two hadn’t moved so quickly, Daniel said he believes the car “could have potentially blown up with him still halfway conscious from the wreck,” he said Saturday.
The officer, whose name hasn’t been released, was taken to a hospital for evaluation.
Daniel said he believes others would have done the same thing if Daniel had been the one in the car.
“It feels really good to be able to help somebody,” he said. “I would’ve done that for anyone in need.”
The bystanders’ courage wasn’t lost on Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown.
“Our SLCPD officer is recovering with minor injuries,” Brown said in a tweet on Saturday. “I am so grateful for the help of 2 brave citizens.”
Manzanares said the other driver was cooperating with investigators.
