Tempe Police are investigating a former redshirt football player suspected of attacking a police officer last week.
Kyran Jones, 27, was arrested at about 6:45 p.m. on March 9 near Broadway and Price roads after he assaulted a lieutenant and attempted to take his gun, said Tempe Police Sgt. Cindy Davies.
Tempe Police Lt. Mike Horn was driving to work when he noticed Jones slumped over in his sport-utility vehicle and stopped to help him, Davies said.
Horn took Jones's keys from him, and Jones then exited his vehicle and began to walk away, she said.
Out of the blue, Jones turned around and attacked Horn, Davies said.
While the two men struggled, Jones tried to take Horn's gun, Davies said.
A civilian witness stopped to assist Horn and Jones was subdued, she added.
Horn suffered a laceration, several abrasions and a shoulder injury. He was treated at a hospital and released the same day, Davies said.
Jones was arrested on suspicion of aggravated assault, possession of marijuana, criminal damage and driving on a revoked license, she said.
Police are currently investigating whether Jones was intoxicated at the time of the incident, Davies added.
Horn was officially promoted from the rank of sergeant to lieutenant in Patrol on Feb. 15, after serving as a spokesman for Tempe Police.
Neither Horn nor Jones could be reached for comment by press time, and Davies said a police report was not available because the incident was under investigation.
ASU Athletic Department spokesman Mark Brand said Jones redshirted on the ASU football team in 1998 but never stepped on the field.
"He never put on a uniform, never appeared in a game," Brand said.
Jones graduated from Peoria High School and attended ASU from the fall of 1998 to the summer of 2000, but did not graduate from the University, according to the ASU records.
Reach the reporter at: matt.culbertson@asu.edu.
