PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com 

SLCPD Arrest Man Wanted for Robbery and Parole Violation After Pursuit

SALT LAKE CITY — Overnight, officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department arrested a 37-year-old man on parole wanted for robbery after he led police on a pursuit through downtown.

This investigation started at 10:37 p.m. on Monday, October 24, 2022, when Bountiful Police asked SLCPD officers to look for a Gray Suzuki Grand Vitara after the driver took off from BPD. The driver, later identified as Jose Guanajuato, is a parole fugitive.  His previous conviction was for possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.

A few minutes after being dispatched, an officer saw the suspect car near 600 West North Temple Street and tried to stop it. Guanajuato refused to stop and drove away while obeying most traffic laws. Officers tried to use stop sticks to try and deflate the car’s tires.

While fleeing, Guanajuato continued to obey most traffic laws but refused to stop. Officers stopped following the car.

 Just after officers stopped following, an SLCPD sergeant learned Guanajuato was the suspect in several recent crimes involving a weapon and was also the suspect in a robbery that occurred a few hours earlier.

With this new information, officers attempted to stop Guanajuato near 1300 South State Street, but he still refused to pull over and kept driving at slow speeds, obeying most traffic laws.

Officers pursued Guanajuato south on State Street.  Guanajuato turned west on 3500 South and pulled into a business parking lot near 3500 South West Temple Street.

A community member blocked Guanajuato’s car with their own vehicle, preventing him from moving his car. Officers gave commands to Guanajuato to exit his car, but he refused. Officers pulled Guanajuato from the car and took him safely into custody without further incident.

Officers booked Guanajuato into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail for a Parole Violation Warrant, as well as new charges of Failure to Stop at Command of a Law Enforcement Officer, Robbery and Interference with an Arresting Officer.

A photo from the termination point of the pursuit is being released.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Salt Lake City Police Department is not the custodian of record for jail booking photos. Utah Code 17-22-30 mostly prohibits the release of jail booking photos. Generally, a jail booking photo can only be released by the custodian of record after a conviction or when law enforcement determines the person is a fugitive or an imminent threat to a person or public safety. In Salt Lake City, the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office is the custodian of record for jail booking photos.

###