Body cam, 911 call recordings released in incident where West Valley man allegedly shot at tow truck driver, police officers

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Salt Lake City Police Department released body-worn camera footage and 911 audio from an incident that involved a man shooting at police officers and a tow truck driver on I-80.

Ramon Rojas-Huerta, 44, was charged with 22 felony charges following the incident, including multiple charges of second-degree felony assault on a peace officer, third-degree felony discharge of a firearm, and third-degree felony aggravated assault, among others.

The incident occurred during the evening of Sunday, July 29, around 10:45 p.m. when SLCPD officers responded to reports of shots fired near 1660 West North Temple.

A tow truck driver called 911, and on the recording of the call, he can be heard telling dispatch that a guy in a white van shot at him three times and is getting onto the freeway. The dispatcher advised the tow truck driver not to follow him for his own safety, but the truck driver stated that he was going in the same direction to try to get back to his shop.

The truck driver can be heard telling the dispatcher that the conflict began when he was called in to tow the man’s van. The man paid the fee to release the van and then began shooting at him.

The truck driver then got off the highway and pulled into a gas station to wait to meet with police. Shortly after, the truck driver can be heard saying, “He’s back! He’s back!” and gunshots can also be heard on the recording.

At around 11 p.m., police officers were able to locate the suspect’s van travelling northbound on Bangerter Highway. He was travelling slowly, and officers attempted a traffic stop. On the body camera video, the suspect fires at officers, and officers return fire. One officer requests that traffic be shut down and then reports that the suspect has begun travelling northbound again, still at a low rate of speed.

Officers then pursue the suspect in a slow-speed chase. During the chase, the suspect merges onto I-80, and officers follow. More shots are exchanged.

At around 11:15 p.m., officers ram the suspect’s vehicle, in what the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office described in a news release as “intentional contact” in order to stop it from reaching more populated areas.

The vehicle is stopped, and shots are exchanged once more. Officers get out of their vehicles and confront Rojas-Huerta. Rojas-Huerta gets out of the van and lays down on the ground, where officers take him into custody.

Reportedly, the exchanges of gunfire between Rojas-Huerta and police led to Rojas-Huerta receiving multiple gunshot wounds, and he was transported to the hospital in critical condition. According to the District Attorney’s Office, officers rendered life-saving aid to Rojas Huerta.

Rojas-Huerta was arrested and charged following his release from the hospital, and he is currently being held without bail.

Because Rojas-Huerta was shot by police, it was determined to be an Officer Involved Critical Incident (OICI), and an outside investigation is being conducted by West Jordan Police Department. The officers who discharged their firearms are on paid administrative leave, according to standard procedure.