PUBLIC RELATIONS UNIT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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SLCPD Arrests Two Suspects in Car Prowl Case, Reminds Community to Secure Valuables

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Police Department is urging community members to remove valuables, especially holiday gifts, from their cars after arresting two people who are accused of theft.

As part of this investigation, officers recovered suspected stolen property valued between $2,000 and $3,000. Much of the property recovered appears to be holiday shopping bags left unattended.

This investigation started at 3:54 a.m. on Sunday, December 22, 2024, when a community member called 9-1-1 and reported seeing two people wearing hoodies looking into cars near 2700 South Elizabeth Street.

Officers arrived in the area and could hear a car alarm going off.

Officers conducted a traffic stop on a car seen leaving the area.

Officers contacted the driver and passenger and identified them as 46-year-old Gabriel Esquibel and 42-year-old Robert Snell, respectively. Inside the car, officers could see suspected stolen items, including shopping bags with receipts that didn’t match the name of either suspect. Officers also found a bike during the traffic stop that was reported as stolen.

Based on the available information, and evidence found inside the car Esquibel drove, officers believe the two men may be responsible for other thefts not yet reported.

Anyone who believes they have been a victim of theft or attempted theft should call 801-799-3000.

Officers booked Esquibel into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of felony theft, vehicle burglary, unlawful drug possession, unlawful possession of burglary tools, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, and improper placement of a license plate.

Officers booked Snell into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail on charges of felony theft, vehicle burglary, unlawful drug possession, unlawful possession of burglary tools, and criminal trespass.

The SLCPD wants to thank the community members who called 9-1-1 so quickly to report this incident. Officers learned that one of the community members received an alert from a home security system about an exterior camera detecting motion.

The community member then looked at the camera and saw the two suspects and called 9-1-1.

The SLCPD is once again reminding community members to remove all valuables from their cars.

Keeping your car “showroom clean,” by removing all items, is one of the easiest and most effective ways to prevent car prowls.

Items left in plain sight, even small ones, can tempt thieves and make your vehicle a target.

It’s important to remember that for a crime to occur, three factors must align: a suspect, a victim, and the right time and place.

By removing items and locking your car, you reduce the opportunity and make it less likely that a thief will choose your vehicle.

Prevention is key to keeping your belongings safe.

Several photos of the items suspected to have been stolen are being released. Media may use these photos with credit to the Salt Lake City Police Department.

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 information contained in this news release is based on a preliminary review of the details available to the Salt Lake City Police Department. As the investigation progresses, information may change.

Photo: Evidence seized during a vehicle burglary investigation in the Sugar House neighborhood. SLCPD found several store bags with receipts inside them that did not match the names of the suspects arrested (SLCPD photo – December 22, 2024).

Photo: Evidence seized during a vehicle burglary investigation in the Sugar House neighborhood. SLCPD found several store bags with receipts inside them that did not match the names of the suspects arrested (SLCPD photo – December 22, 2024).

Photo: Evidence seized during a vehicle burglary investigation in the Sugar House neighborhood. SLCPD found several store bags with receipts inside them that did not match the names of the suspects arrested (SLCPD photo – December 22, 2024).

Photo: Evidence seized during a vehicle burglary investigation in the Sugar House neighborhood. SLCPD found several store bags with receipts inside them that did not match the names of the suspects arrested (SLCPD photo – December 22, 2024).

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