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Police: Officer-involved shooting suspect admitted to multiple drive-by shootings

Posted at 6:20 PM, Jan 18, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-18 22:05:34-05

FARMINGTON, Utah - Police say a man involved in an officer-involved shooting earlier this week has confessed to his crime and revealed more information about events that led up to the incident.

The suspect is accused of shooting at a vehicle on Legacy Parkway on Wednesday before firing at officers. Police say he told them he'd shot at other cars along the Wasatch Front.

Dispatchers say they received several 911 calls from drivers reporting a Hispanic man in a blue Toyota Camry shooting at cars along Legacy Highway near Park Lane in Farmington.

Police officials say the suspect saw officers approaching and led them on a high-speed chase through the area before stopping at 650 West State Street. Officers and the suspect, identified as Marco Antonio Guizar, 37, exchanged gunfire. No one was hit in the exchange.

Police say that after Guizar was arrested, he admitted to being high on cocaine and methamphetamine in the last week and that he knew he was shooting at police and vehicles along the Wasatch Front.

"Officers from SLCPD, DPS and WVCPD all confirmed cases of a blue Toyota with Texas plates involved in drive-by shootings in the past several days. In an interview, Marco admitted being the individual in those four cases who displayed and fired the gun. Marco also admitted to firing rounds at the vehicle on Legacy," a probable cause statement read.

Investigators say Guizar's motivation in the shootings is a mystery.

"It doesn't appear it's road rage. He's just randomly picking people and doing this and I don't know that the investigators have figured that out yet," said Farmington Police Chief Wayne Hansen.

Police say Guizar admitted to obtaining a Glock 40 handgun despite being legally restricted from having a firearm.

Guizar, who has a long criminal history including jail time, is in the Davis County Jail facing numerous felony and misdemeanor charges, including attempted aggravated murder of a police officer.