SANDY, Utah – “Help me.”
Those were the two words a man mouthed to officers after being kidnapped at knifepoint from a Utah cemetery Saturday, according to police. The subtle tip-off may have saved his life, and it also led to the arrest of the suspect, Umar Hayat Raja.
The victim had been grieving at the Larkin Cemetery in Sandy, when Raja approached him with a knife and demanded he drive him around the city, police said.
The victim later told police that, throughout the drive, Raja threatened him and also gloated that he had “killed before,” according to KSTU-TV.
During the drive, Raja and the victim switched places in the Jordan Commons parking lot at 9335 S. State St. and Raja began driving the pair around. Police say he drove erratically and nearly hit an officer.
When they pulled alongside a police vehicle, the victim mouthed, “help me” to the officer, according to KSTU.
Sandy Police say the officer followed the pair and eventually took Raja into custody.
Raja has been charged with counts of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated robbery and drug possession-related offenses and was booked into the Salt Lake County jail.
