SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A Utah man has been arrested on suspicion of shooting a man who tried to drive through protesters blocking traffic in Provo during a rally decrying police brutality.
Jesse K. Taggart, 33, of Salt Lake City was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of attempted murder, aggravated assault and other charges, authorities said.
Taggart is accused of shooting the driver of an SUV on Monday night, leaving the man with a gunshot wound to his arm and shrapnel in his eye and stomach. The victim drove himself to an emergency room.
Taggart declined to talk with officers when he was arrested, according to a probable cause statement. He is being held in jail on $41,700 bail. It’s unclear if he has an attorney.
Provo police have not cited a motive or said if Taggart is affiliated with any groups. Police did not return phone messages Wednesday seeking more information.
A video of the incident taken by KSL-TV shows a man fire a shot at the driver from the passenger side of the car as the driver began slowly accelerating through protesters who were pushing the car. The shooter’s face was covered by a mask, but police say they identified him through multiple photos and videos taken by witnesses.
The man fired a second shot at the back of the car as it sped away, according to the probable cause statement. Police said he later broke the window of another car by hitting it with his gun.
A woman who police say was with Taggart at the protest, Samantha Darling, was arrested on suspicion of obstruction of justice and rioting, authorities said.
Darling, 27, of South Ogden is accused of blocking traffic, damaging vehicles and driving the car Taggart was in, according to a probable cause statement.
She declined to talk to police about the incident or Taggart, the document said. She’s being held on $25,010 bail. It’s unclear if she has an attorney.
Neither Taggart nor Darling had been formally charged as of Wednesday.
It’s unclear if the driver of the SUV who was shot is under investigation.
The night started as yet another in a string of mostly peaceful protests in Utah decrying the police killing of George Floyd. But it became tense when pro-police protesters arrived, according to people who were there. People rallying against police brutality started to block traffic at intersections, which led to the incident where the man was shot.
