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Video shows attempted robbery prior to fatal officer-involved shooting in SLC

Posted at 9:32 PM, Sep 29, 2017
and last updated 2017-09-29 23:32:13-04

SALT LAKE CITY -- An ordinary Thursday took a turn when a car pulled up in front of Addictive Behavior Motor Works in Salt Lake City.

“So here he is pulling up, my employee and a customer is sitting out front,” said Candice Davis, Owner of Addictive Behavior Motor Works, as she showed Fox 13 surveillance video from Thursday afternoon.

Davis says after the car pulls up, a man jumps out and approaches her employee, Josh Meredith.

“He asked if we'd ask the girl who was driving the car to park in the parking lot,” Meredith, a technician at the shop, said.

Surveillance footage shows the woman behind the wheel and another man in the passenger seat drive around the building and park while the other man goes inside, heading straight to the back of the store, where the owner says he tried to break into their safe.

“He had unscrewed different pieces of it and it was on the floor,” Davis said.

But with the noise of the bike shop, Candice couldn’t hear him trying to break in.

“He comes up the stairs, has a seat, opens the fridge, leaves it open and then starts yelling out the window to the guy to have him come open the safe and I’m just sitting in my chair saying, 'Can I help you?'” Davis said.

She then followed the man back down the stairs.

“I’m standing on these stairs and they're literally right there punching buttons, and I got down there and he said, 'Give me the code,'" Davis said.

They called police and pushed the men out of the store and into the parking lot and waited until they drove off.

“Kind of one of those what the hell moments,” Meredith said. “Just weird.”

The next day they saw the man's mug shot on the news, and that's when they connected the dots. Michael Peterson was shot and killed by police just after he left their shop.

“Very easily, very easily could have been us,” Meredith said.

Davis said she believes police are doing all they can to catch the two who were with Peterson.

“One little tiny change in how we responded could have been a really bad outcome,” Davis said.

Davis hopes by sharing her story and the video, someone from the public will recognize the other suspects. Police say they are investigating the incident but won't confirm anything about the case.