PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

JULY 15, 2024

 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact Information: PolicePRUnit@slcgov.com

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SLCPD Airport Officers Arrest Three Men, Uncover Coordinated Stolen Car Operation

SALT LAKE CITY—Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department Airport Division have arrested three men after finding substantial evidence of a coordinated stolen car operation.

This investigation started at 6:53 p.m. on Friday, July 12, 2024, when dispatchers assigned to the Salt Lake City International Airport’s Control Center saw three men looking into cars at the airport’s economy parking lot. Dispatchers provided airport officers with information about the suspects’ last known location.

Based on the suspicious behavior of the suspects, officers thought the men came to the airport to steal a car or break into parked cars. During their investigation, officers caught up with the men and attempted a traffic stop. The driver took off and refused to stop. Dispatchers at the Airport’s Control Center continued to provide officers with updates.

Airport officers started chasing the suspects on foot after the suspects exited the car and took off running. Airport officers requested additional help from patrol officers assigned to the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Pioneer Patrol Division and Salt Lake City Police Department’s K9 Squad.

Because of the coordination between officers and the fast response from units, officers found all three suspects and took them into custody. One of the men suffered a leg injury after he jumped a fence while trying to run from officers.

During the investigation, officers found a backpack belonging to one of the suspects. Officers found the backpack full of blank car key fobs. As the investigation continued, officers found key cards to a nearby motel. Officers contacted detectives with the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Auto Theft Unit. Detectives responded and prepared a warrant to search the motel room. On-duty members from the Salt Lake City Police Department’s SWAT team responded to assist with clearing the room.

Inside the motel room, officers found more evidence of a coordinated stolen car operation.

Officers found a laptop, other hardware used to communicate electronic signals, and a device used to program key fobs inside the stolen car the suspects bailed from.

This investigation is ongoing, and no further details are available for release.

Officers arrested 30-year-old Jose Alejandro Pavon-Estopian, 37-year-old Yoel Hernandez Fromata, 29-year-old Vainer Pinollotoro and took them to the Salt Lake County Metro Jail. All have been charged with possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing in a vehicle, failing to stop at the command of police, and possession of burglary tools.

The three men have no ties to Salt Lake City.

The Salt Lake City Police Department would like to recognize the work and assistance of the Salt Lake City Airport Control Center for their assistance with this 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 has a dedicated unit focused exclusively on auto theft. The detectives assigned to the SLCPD Auto Theft Unit not only follow up on cases by handling all auto theft investigations, but they deploy into the field to track down known vehicle theft offenders who have warrants or to look for and recover stolen vehicles.

The SLCPD Auto Theft Unit periodically conducts multi-day operations, using various department resources and technology to assist in making arrests and recovering vehicles. These operations have an immediate and direct impact on other crimes being committed in Salt Lake City.

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