PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

September 2, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

Media Request Form: https://police.slc.gov/mediarequest/

SLCPD Officers Arrest Two Men Accused of Damaging Jackson Park

SALT LAKE CITY — Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department have arrested two men who are accused of causing significant, gang-related, damage to Jackson Park.

Due to the widespread damage and to help community members restore their neighborhood, the Salt Lake City Police Department contacted the Salt Lake City Parks Division on Saturday, September 2, 2023, to start an emergency clean-up.

SLCPD also conducted proactive community outreach at the park on Saturday morning as families began showing up to use the park.

This investigation started at approximately 10:30 p.m. on Friday, September 1, 2023, when a community member called 9-1-1 and reported seeing three people inside Jackson Park, located at 781 West 500 North, using blue spray paint to cause significant damage.

Officers quietly arrived in the area and began watching the suspects from a short distance.

Officers coordinated a plan to quickly move into the park and arrest the suspects as they damaged the surfaces, including the park’s signs, walls, picnic tables, ground, slides, and even the trees inside the park.

As the officers walked into the park, they could smell fresh spray paint in the air.

Officers safely arrested 18-year-old Elijah Carter and 19-year-old Macen Loutensock.

When officers arrested the two, they found a blue spray paint can nearby and both men had blue paint on their hands.

Officers booked Carter and Loutensock into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of unlawful property damage, public intoxication, and criminal trespass. Loutensock is also charged with unlawful possession of a controlled substance.

Officers detained and identified a third person, a female juvenile, who was with Carter and Loutensock. Criminal charges against her will be screened.

Due to the significance and scope of the damage, officers enhanced the property damage charge to felony level. The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will review the case.

The Salt Lake City Police Department would like to thank the Salt Lake City Parks Division for quickly responding.

If you see graffiti within Salt Lake City’s boundaries, please call the graffiti hotline at 801-972-7885 or click here to report graffiti online.

Several photos from the park are being released.

Media may also download video of today’s clean up by clicking here. This link goes to Salt Lake City’s ShareFile website. Media may need to create an account through SLC Citrix to download the video if they have not already established an account to accept SLCPD GRAMA requests.

A copy will also be uploaded to the department’s Facebook page.

The Salt Lake City Police Department will not show the damage in its entirety to avoid the gang-related damage from gaining notoriety.

Media and community members are also asked to refrain from showing wide shots of the damage.

The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Gang Unit responded to the scene to assist with the investigation.

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.

The Salt Lake City Police Department’s Gang Unit is responsible for investigating gang-related crimes that occur within the city’s jurisdiction. The unit consists of highly trained uniformed officers and detectives who work collaboratively with patrol divisions and other specialty squads within the SLCPD to gather information and focus on preventing gang and gun violence through education, prevention, and enforcement.

1 – Salt Lake City Police investigate gang-related damage at Jackson Park (SLCPD Photo, September 2, 2023).

2 – A Salt Lake City Parks employee cleans up after two men caused extensive, gang-related, damage at Jackson Park (SLCPD photo, September 2, 2023).

3 – Salt Lake City Police investigate gang-related damage at Jackson Park (SLCPD Photo, September 2, 2023).

4 – Salt Lake City Police investigate gang-related damage at Jackson Park (SLCPD Photo, September 2, 2023).

5 – Salt Lake City Police investigate gang-related damage at Jackson Park (SLCPD Photo, September 2, 2023).

###