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- Luis Gomez fled police and barricaded himself in a dump truck.
- Gomez, 41, was later found dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound after an hours-long standoff.
- Nearby residents were evacuated and State Street was closed during the incident.
MIDVALE — An armed suspect who evaded officers during a traffic stop was found dead after barricading himself inside a dump truck Friday morning, police said.
Officers had attempted a traffic stop near 7500 South and State in Midvale, according to Unified Police Sgt. Aymee Race. The driver did not comply with police and "continued a short distance before being stopped through a high-risk stop," police said. The driver was detained but another person ran away.
While searching for the man, police located an open dump truck in the area of 7420 South.
"Upon looking inside the truck bed, the officer encountered the fleeing individual, who was observed pointing a firearm at the officer's head," Unified police said.
Luis Gomez, 41, of Provo, then barricaded himself in the bed of the dump truck with large objects, according to police. Officers attempted to get him to surrender, but the situation lasted several hours while police monitored Gomez with drones.
Police said Gomez shot down one of the drones and more were deployed to monitor his actions.
Gomez was found around 8 a.m. with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Medical aid was rendered, but he died from his injuries at the scene, police said.
Police had ordered nearby residents to shelter in place — and some were evacuated — on Cox Lane near 7420 South while multiple SWAT teams responded to the scene at around 5:30 a.m. By 8:30 a.m. investigators remained at the scene, but the order had been lifted and police said there was no threat to the public.
State Street was closed to traffic from 7500 South to 7300 South during the altercation. The incident did not affect any schools, but the district did alter bus routes to avoid the area, said Canyons School District spokesman Jeff Haney.
Contributing: Brian Carlson, Michael Houck, Cassidy Wixom
