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WEST JORDAN — An intoxicated man held four Latter-day Saint missionaries at gunpoint and forced them to retrieve money from a nearby gas station Friday night, police said.

The missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were near an apartment complex located near 3700 West and 7100 South about 9:30 p.m. when an intoxicated man approached them and asked them for money, according to West Jordan Police Sgt. Dan Roberts. When they told him they didn’t have any money, he brandished a knife and a gun and forced them to walk to the Exxon gas station at 3731 W. Jordan Landing Blvd. where they made a purchase in order to get $20 cash back, Robert said.

“He started telling them about the people that he'd stabbed, the people that he'd shot, the people that he had killed,” Roberts said. “And so these missionaries thought that their lives were seriously in danger and so that's why one of them, out of desperation, suggested ‘how about we go try to use our debit card to try to get some money.'”

The missionaries weren’t injured in the incident. One of them was able to text a friend as they walked to the gas station, and the friend then contacted the police.

Police were able to locate the man, Michael Willie, 25, and took him into custody, according to Roberts. He was arrested on suspicion of robbery, kidnapping and possession of a concealed dangerous weapon.

Contributing: Sean Moody, KSL TV

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