The facility, which was built in 1991, burns around 50,000 tons of solvents, paints, old chemicals, contaminated soils, and PCBs every year.

Waste360 Staff, Staff

February 27, 2017

1 Min Read
Man Killed After Threatening to Blow Up Utah Hazardous Waste Plant

A man was shot and killed by police officers after he displayed a gun and threatened to blow up a hazardous waste management facility in Argonite, Utah, on Sunday.

Tooele County Sheriff's Deputies and Utah Highway Patrol were called to the Clean Harbors waste management facility. The facility, which was built in 1991, burns around 50,000 tons of solvents, paints, old chemicals, contaminated soils, and PCBs every year, which come by truck and rail to the facility from all over the nation.

According to Clean Harbors, its location is within a 100 square-mile zone established by the

Tooele County Commission to be used exclusively for hazardous waste management activities. Within a 30-mile radius and in a southerly direction of the site, the land is used by the U.S. Army and Air Force for desert warfare training.

The Associated Press has more.

When deputies arrived, the man threatened to blow up the facility and displayed a gun. The facility was placed on lock down and all the employees were kept inside.

At some point the man was shot by officers. The man then crawled under his car, where he died. No bombs were found after a search of the surrounding areas and the man's vehicle.

Deputies did not disclose the man’s connection to the facility, his name or his age.

Read the full story here.

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