Two brothers accused of causing ‘mass panic’ in Salt Lake City shooting

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Two brothers were taken into custody on Thursday, April 24, accused of firing multiple shots into a Salt Lake City crowd, causing “mass panic.”

Yanick Baitia, 18, and his brother, Styve Baitia, 20, both face third-degree felony charges of aggravated assault and felony discharge of a firearm. Court records show Yanick also faces an additional misdemeanor charge of threaten with or use of a dangerous weapon in a fight.

According to the court documents, the Baitia brothers were involved in a “large-scale fight” near 300 South and 5600 West in Salt Lake City on Saturday, April 12.

During the fight, Yanick Baitia allegedly pulled out a gun and pointed it at the ground, causing the crowd to move back. The Baitia brothers reportedly then jumped into a car before firing multiple shots toward the crowd, causing “mass panic and individuals to jump on the ground and hide,” before they fled the scene.

Police did not report any injuries as a result of the shooting. However, one bullet struck a car’s headlight, shooting it out.

Styve Baitia was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail the following day for failure to stop at the command of law enforcement and marijuana possession. He was later released on bail until he and his brother were arrested after detectives established enough evidence to allegedly connect them to the shooting.

While being interviewed by detectives, Styve Baitia allegedly admitted to being at the scene and involved in the fight, but would not say anything about a gun or the shooting. Meanwhile, Yanick Baitia allegedly admitted to being involved in the fight and being in possession of a gun at the time.

Court records show both men have been ordered to be held without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.