Suspect Hiding From Cops Calls 911 for Rescue

Utah man locked himself in church boiler room
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Oct 25, 2017 2:52 AM CDT
Suspect Hiding From Cops Calls 911 For Rescue
Shane Paul Owen.   (Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake)

A Utah man who was hiding from police and fled arrest had to call 911 to be rescued after getting stuck in his hiding spot. Salt Lake City police say 46-year-old Shane Paul Owen called dispatchers for help on Tuesday, more than six hours after he accidentally locked himself in a old, vacant church's boiler room. Officers were looking for Owens on Monday because he is a suspect in a string of burglaries and had warrants out for his arrest. Police say an officer spotted him and attempted to pull his vehicle over, but Owen fled, got out of his car and ran into the church, the AP reports.

Fearing that Owens was armed, police called in a SWAT team, which surrounded the church and was about to enter when the suspect called to be rescued. "They’ve had me tied up here all night," he told the 911 dispatcher. "I'm not going to be able to put my hands up and climb out." Police say they were initially skeptical, but they took Owens into custody without incident after sending a robot to check that he was really in the basement boiler room, which had no door handles on the inside, KSL reports. Police say they recovered drugs from Owen and booked him on warrants for retaliation against a witness, drug distribution, and identity fraud. (Police found this car thief hiding up a tree.)

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