A man accused of killing a Utah police officer in a hit-and-run crash with a tractor-trailer has a history of attacks on law enforcement, including being convicted of trying to run down officers in Oregon 15 years ago.
Michael Aaron Jayne allegedly crashed into Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser, his cruiser and a Utah Highway Patrol cruiser while fleeing a traffic stop Sunday, KUTV-TV reports. Hooser and the trooper were trying to pull over the tractor-trailer because of reports of someone standing on the back of the semi.
Hooser, who was outside his vehicle at the time, died at the scene.
Jayne, 42, fled the scene on foot, and a manhunt ensued. During the search, Jayne stole a pickup truck, and police began a vehicle pursuit, which ended when Jayne crashed in the Vernal area, and he was apprehended.
According to a 2012 report in Kansas' Great Bend Tribune, which cited court documents in California, Jayne's home state, Jayne was convicted of assault after attracting the attention of law enforcement officers and trying to run them down in Klamath County, Oregon, in 2009. He also was convicted of wearing body armor at the time.
In 2010, he was charged with making criminal threats and resisting an executive officer after threatening a jailer in Shasta County, California.
