This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
After his girlfriend dumped him, an 18-year-old threw a beer can at a police officer and led him on a chase so he could get in trouble, according to court documents.
The man was charged in 3rd District Court on Thursday with assaulting a peace officer, failure to stop at an officer's signal, and — as someone who was underage — driving with alcohol in his system.
The Unified Police officer was standing outside his car at 1500 West and 4700 South on Aug. 17 when the man sped by in a station wagon and threw an empty Bud Light beer can at him, according to the charges. The officer got in his car and chased after the man with lights and sirens, but the man did not pull over.
Police eventually stopped him at 3675 S. State St. with a PIT maneuver. The officer smelled alcohol on the man's breath and saw full Bud Light cans inside the station wagon.
The man later told police that he threw the can at the officer because "he got dumped by [his] girlfriend and [he] wanted to get in trouble," and figured the fastest way would be to throw something at the police, according to the charges.