Following Jordan River Trail confrontation, bicyclist is critical of city’s safety plan

SALT LAKE CITY — A bicyclist said he was threatened by a man with a knife along the Jordan River Trail on Saturday.

Mike Christensen, a Rose Park resident, said he initially was trying to return a green, bike-share bicycle he saw on the bridge. That’s when he said a man started yelling at him from the bridge abutment, insisting the bike was his.

“He tried to give me some stories about having bought the bike from someone, and then tried to change his story and claim that the bike share had sold him the bike, which, I’ve known the people that run the bike share ever since they started operating and so I know that that wasn’t the case at all,” Christensen said.

He said it looked like the man lived underneath the bridge along the Jordan River. He said, after some back and forth, the man took a knife out.

A police report said he waved it in a pointing motion, telling Christensen not to touch the bike.

“He actually hopped on that bike and rode it down the bridge and docked it in the bike share dock on his own,” Christensen said. “I followed after him, and he then tried to disappear into the bushes along the river. Shortly thereafter, police officers arrived and I had lost sight of him.”

The man was arrested after Christensen spotted him later, further on down the trail.

“He ended up trying to run away by the Northwest Recreation Center, where there were kids and families playing soccer who got to see the police officers eventually tackle him and handcuff him,” he said.

He was charged with aggravated assault, failure to stop at the command of law enforcement and use or possession of drug paraphernalia.

Brent Weisberg with Salt Lake City Police said in a statement, “Because of the proactive and increased presence of our officers assigned to this area, we had a quick response, which resulted in the safe arrest of the suspect. The resolution here is a direct result of the focused law enforcement strategies we have deployed along the Jordan River Trail and North Temple Street corridor.”

Christensen said what he’s seen is ineffective. He is also a member of Salt Lake City’s Planning Commission.

“It’s very frustrating as a resident of this neighborhood for so long, it didn’t used to be like this,” he said. “They are trying to police it from their patrol cars, rather than getting out on like e-bikes,” he said.

KSL TV has seen officers patrolling the trail in UTVs since the plan was implemented.

Weisberg said Saturday’s incident was unfortunate and shows the challenges officers face while policing the trail.

Christensen said the city’s safety plan for the trail is only pushing the problem to different areas.

“A lot of times they’re released the same day and they’re back out here in the same situation,” he said. “We describe it as ‘Operation Leaf Blower.'”

He’d like to see more social workers.

“The focus of having it be primarily a law enforcement task just really isn’t working,” Christensen said. “We really need to figure out how to get resources to the people out here to get them things like permanent supportive housing and get them resources that will help with mental health issues and addiction recovery.”

The entire police statement on the incident follows below:

“Yesterday’s incident on the Jordan River Trail, where a man reportedly threatened a community member with a knife, underscores both the persistent challenges we face and the steady progress we are making.

Because of the proactive and increased presence of our officers assigned to this area, we had a quick response, which resulted in the safe arrested of the suspect. The resolution here is a direct result of the focused law enforcement strategies we have deployed along the Jordan River Trail and North Temple Street corridor.

While this is an unfortunate situation, it does not diminish the work and momentum we are building to advance public safety. We are seeing improvements in public safety and community engagement in this area. Still, we recognize that sustained progress requires long-term commitment, not just from law enforcement, but from every level of city, county, and state government.

We will continue to deploy enhanced patrols, advance greater collaboration across agencies working to support our objectives, and support the long-term revitalization of this vital part of our city. Our officers remain absolutely committed to help ensure the safety and stability. We thank the public for their continued support.”