Aug. 01--OGDEN -- A man shot at by an Ogden police officer last week says he pointed a can of soda to resemble a gun in an effort to commit suicide by cop, according to court documents.
Ogden Detective Tyler Ziegler said in a probable cause statement that Kenneth Mobley, 46, made the admission following his July 24 arrest.
"Mobley said he wanted to die, so he emerged from his hiding spot and pointed a can of soda at one of the officers," Ziegler said. "He wanted the officer to believe the can was a weapon so the officer would shoot him."
Ogden police have declined to identify the officer who fired at Mobley and missed following a chase. The officer remains on administrative leave while the shooting is investigated by the Weber County Attorney's Office and the police department.
Mobley was booked into Weber County Jail on suspicion of theft, felony criminal mischief, evading, interfering with an arrest, two counts of aggravated assault and three counts of assault on a police officer.
He is being held without bail.
Mobley is suspected of stealing a 2001 Ford F-150 pickup truck on July 21 from his parents with whom he lives in Clinton, police say.
Ogden officers tried pulling Mobley over on 12th Street, but Mobley rammed the truck into a police car, according to the probable cause statement.
"He (Mobley) claims the officer activated his emergency lights, but he did not want to stop," the statement reads.
"In an attempt to evade the officer, he slammed on his brakes. He said he knew his truck's Stinger hitch would disable the police vehicle. He admitted knowing his actions could potentially cause serious injury."
After the collision, Mobley abandoned his truck and hid in a field near the train tracks on West 17th Street. He was soon confronted by police, according to the probable cause statement.
Mobley injured three officers while fighting with them in an effort to escape, police say.
Ogden Officer J. Nelson injured his arm and required an X-ray, while Weber County Deputy Matt Nelson injured his wrist and Deputy Mike McDonald hurt his elbow and shoulder, according to the statement.
Copyright 2012 - Standard-Examiner, Ogden, Utah
