Screen shot from a video showing medics treating a stabbing victim in Sandy. Photo credit: Chris Matern
SANDY, Utah — A man has been booked into jail for reportedly trying to kill his live-in girlfriend, and police say a 911 hang-up may have saved her.
Investigators say 911 dispatchers got a call coming from an apartment complex on Candlelite Lane Sunday night. However, the caller quickly hung up.
Sandy Police Sergeant Greg Moffitt said, “A 911 hang-up, we’re going to respond on those. It is our protocol that when we receive a 911 hang-up, our dispatchers are going to call back.”
The probable cause statement says when police arrived, they heard a woman screaming from inside the apartment. The victim’s 9-year-old son opened the door and police reportedly found the victim with knife wounds to her face and chest. Moffitt says the victim was taken for treatment, but her injuries were never life-threatening.
The PC statement also says the victim and suspect, Charles Oshodi, had been arguing off-and-on for over a week. However, the fighting became violent Sunday night.
Moffitt said, “The victim and the suspect had been involved in an argument and that argument turned into a physical fight where a knife was introduced into that fight.”
Investigators say Oshodi would not cooperate with police who arrived on the scene. The PC statement says Oshodi fought with the officers. And he spit on them as they were trying to take him into custody.
Moffitt says if someone in a dangerous situation can’t call police, a 911 hang-up can still be a helpful thing. He says all cell phones can reach emergency services, even if they’re connected to a number that’s no longer active.
“There have been cases where we have responded to 911 hang-ups on a phone that no longer has service,” he said.
Oshodi was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for attempted murder, interference with an arresting officer and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
Read more: