AUDIO: Police coordinate rescue of baby from SUV before Taylorsville shootout

TAYLORSVILLE, Utah — Detectives who cornered a wanted suspect at a gas station in Taylorsville quickly learned that he had a 9-month old baby with him inside an SUV.

An approximately hour-long standoff ended in a shootout that killed the suspect Anei Joker, 20, and wounded two police officers.

But before the shots were exchanged, police were able to safely rescue the baby from inside Joker’s SUV.

Recordings from KUTV’s police scanners captured the officers coordinating and recovering the baby.

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At 9:38 p.m., an officer advised on the police radio that Joker was holding the baby up to his own head. Two minutes later, they reported he had set the child down on the driver’s seat.

Police said Joker was refusing to exit the vehicle and law enforcement negotiators began to talk to him about releasing the child.

At 9:54, an officer advised on the radio that Joker was placing the baby in the cargo area of the SUV, at which time police approached with ballistic shields and removed the baby unharmed.

“The officers that were involved in retrieving the baby from the vehicle did so at great risk to themselves and we are very proud of their efforts in the risks that they took to make sure the safety of this baby was at the forefront,” West Valley City Police Chief Colleen Jacobs said.

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At 10:30 p.m., police say Joker exited the SUV and exchanged gunfire with police. Joker was killed and two officers – one from Unified Police and one from West Valley City Police – were struck by bullets.

The West Valley City officer is reported to be alert and talking, but was listed in critical condition. The Unified Police officer has been released from the hospital.

The shootout is now under investigation by an officer-involved critical incident protocol team.