MIDVALE, Utah — Three young men and two minors were arrested Friday night after police say they fired around 20 shots in downtown Midvale, then fled from police.
The incident started around 7:30 p.m. near 8250 S. Main Street when witnesses called the Unified Police Department to report that they heard gunshots.
Officers arrived, and the suspects' vehicle sped off, according to UPD. Officers tried to pull the vehicle over, but they said the driver fled and led them on a multi-city pursuit. The chase went through Sandy, West Jordan and South Jordan. Police said at one point, the officers saw the passengers throw two handguns out the window.
The pursuit finally came to an end when the suspect crashed into a bystander's vehicle, and officers were able to disable the suspects' vehicle near 7000 South and Bangerter Highway.
Police said they found shell casings on the floor of the suspects' car, and more than 20 more at the original scene of the "shots fired" report. There were also two other scenes where casings were found.
UPD said several buildings were hit by bullets, and there was a bullet hole in the rear passenger door of the car.
Three adults were arrested: 19-year-old Christian Pena Renteria (the driver), 20-year-old Luis David Quintana Melo, and 18-year-old Miguel Guzman Garcia. All three are being held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail. They are all facing 10 counts of "felony discharge of a firearm" and one misdemeanor for tampering with evidence. Renteria is also facing charges of reckless driving and failure to stop at the command of police.
A 16-year-old and a 17-year-old were booked into a juvenile detention facility.
UPD said all five suspects are "known gang members."
The department is asking local residents for video evidence of the shooting. Anyone who has such footage is asked to call UPD at 801-743-7000 or email the detective in charge of the case: bmoore@updsl.org.
