Officer Killed After Pulling Over Driver Accused Of Holding Woman Hostage In Truck

Authorities say Michael Aaron Jayne made a sharp U-turn and hit Police Sgt. Bill Hooser after a woman "escaped" from his vehicle during a traffic stop.

An Indiana man accused of holding a woman hostage was charged on Tuesday with the death of a Utah police officer who pulled him over during a traffic stop, Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray announced.

Michael Aaron Jayne, 42, is facing charges including aggravated kidnapping and aggravated murder in connection with the killing of Santaquin Police Sgt. Bill Hooser on May 5.

Speaking at a press conference, Spanish Fork Police Lieutenant Cory Slaymaker said that authorities responded to a report of someone riding on the back of a semi trailer driving on a highway in Utah.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by HuffPost, after Hooser and a state highway trooper pulled the truck over, a woman “escaped” from the vehicle and ran to the officers. The unidentified woman spoke to Hooser and told him “she was afraid” that Jayne would hurt her.

When later questioned, the woman said she initially got into Jayne’s vehicle voluntarily, but refused to accompany him further after they got into an argument at a truck stop, according to the probable cause. Jayne then threatened her “with bear spray and a knife,” the document said.