SALT LAKE CITY — A man was arrested Monday at Utah's Hogle Zoo after he allegedly held a woman and three children against their will.
Sandy Police said they were informed that 28-year-old Alejandro Pineda Jr. had used a gun and threats of violence to detain the four victims against their will.
According to the arrest report, Pineda was on federal probation and was prohibited from possessing a firearm. The adult victim contacted his probation officer and said Pineda threatened her and the children, and they were traveling in his car.
Officers entered his apartment and found nobody there; later, his car was found in the parking lot of Utah's Hogle Zoo. Police responded and found him and the four victims at the zoo, and he was arrested.
The victim told police that Pineda held a gun to his head in front of her and the children while they were at the apartment with him. He threatened to harm himself and the victims. He then drove with them to several different locations across the Salt Lake Valley, and court documents say the victim was "in fear" during this time.
Pineda spoke to police and denied using the gun to threaten the victims, but he admitted to holding the gun at some point.
He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail, where he faces four felony counts of aggravated kidnapping, felony possession of a weapon by a restricted person, and three misdemeanor counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child. He is being held without bail.
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Domestic violence victim resources (free, 24/7, confidential):
- Utah Domestic Violence Coalition:
- Hotline: 1-800-897-LINK (5465)
- Online help: udvc.org
- National Domestic Violence Hotline
- 1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
- Online live chat: thehotline.org
- If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency, call 9-1-1 immediately.
