SWAT standoff ends with discovery of suspect's body

SOUTH JORDAN, Utah (ABC 4 NEWS) - A nearly 5 hour SWAT standoff ended when police found the suspect dead in a South Jordan home shortly after 4 a.m. on Tuesday.

Police responded to a domestic dispute call around 11 p.m. Monday night. The suspect's girlfriend was severely beaten but managed to escape the house and make it to a neighbor's home for help. She told police her boyfriend had a gun. She was taken to the Intermountain Medical Center with serious injuries.

When police arrived, the suspect refused to come out and wouldn't talk to cops. The SWAT team was called out and tried for several hours to make contact with the 29 year old man. Finally, shortly before 4 a.m. police deployed 6 cans of tear gas in through the windows in an effort to locate him and possible force him out of the house. When that didn't work the SWAT team made entry and that's when they discovered his body on the bed in the master bedroom.

There were no obvious signs of how the suspect died. Police say he has a long criminal record that includes drugs and domestic violence. They believe he may have overdosed. The medical examiners are working to make that determination.