Died – 2/17/22
K-9 and suspect dead after multiple pursuits
A man was shot and killed by police and a police dog also died during an armed confrontation Thursday night. The incident happened just after 7 p.m. at 1750 W. 11400 South in South Jordan when police shot a man with a handgun who they had been pursuing since earlier in the day, West Jordan police spokesman Sam Winkler said. At around 11 a.m., a report was taken of an aggravated assault of a woman who was held against her will by a male with a handgun, police said. They located the suspect, Zachary Tyler Alvarengaat at Jordan Landing, Winkler said, where the woman had broken free and was being chased by a man who was a former coworker. A pursuit began, but was “discontinued because of safety reasons,” Winkler said. Not long after, a second pursuit was also ended. The suspect later threatened relatives of the woman with a handgun, Winkler said. Police once again found the man and contacted him over the phone to try to negotiate a surrender, he said. There was then a third pursuit just after 7 p.m. where authorities set out spikes and stopped the man’s vehicle, police said. The suspect then fled on foot while armed with a handgun and was shot by officers, Winkler said. The suspect was pronounced dead at the scene. K-9 Maya was also killed. “Unfortunately, Maya, a 6½-year-old Belgian Malinois from the West Jordan Police Department, was killed during the incident. Our hearts go out to her handler and the entire West Jordan Police Department family and all those who knew Maya,” police said in a press release. A police honor guard stood watch after Maya’s death. Officers from West Jordan, South Jordan and Unified police were involved in the shooting, which will now be investigated by West Valley Police Department.