SOUTH SALT LAKE -- US marshals have arrested the third suspect from a wild bar fight and shooting that occurred outside of Scallywags in South Salt Lake a little over a month ago.
Authorities said it took longer to track the suspect down because he fled the state.
Pelenise Taouma was located in northern California, where he’d been hiding out since the shooting.
Two others are already behind bars and charged in connection with the crime. And, according to probable cause statements, they, along with Taouma, we’re all involved in a bar fight at Scallywags early in the morning of November 11th.
The group was kicked out of the bar, but another fight developed outside.
At one point, South Salt Lake Police said the suspects retrieved weapons from their vehicle and fired nearly 20 rounds from a rifle and a handgun into a crowd.
One woman was hit three times and rushed to a hospital in critical condition. The suspects fled the scene, but the first two were quickly arrested.
The owner of the bar announced its permanent closure shortly after, citing high crime rates in the area.
Taouma fled the state and apparently thought he was in the clear, until the marshals tracked him down earlier this week.
"We were able to track him to a bus stop in San Francisco, where our fugitive task force in San Francisco arrested him," said Matthew D. Harris, a US Marshal for the District of Utah. "So really good lead from South Salt Lake PD, the detective did an excellent job getting us the information....they scooped the guy up without incident."
Marshal Harris calls this is a perfect example of how the federal muscle and resources of their agency helps local police catch fugitives who prove to be elusive.
Pelenise Taouma is currently sitting in a San Francisco jail. The extradition process to bring him back to Utah is already underway, and that could happen anytime over the next few days or weeks.
