MURRAY — A 29-year-old Salt Lake City man was booked into Salt Lake County Jail on Sunday after he allegedly forced his way into a car, made the four occupants give him a ride and later shot one of the victims.
Murray police detective Rob Hall said the man approached four men in their 20s as they were leaving Southern Exposure, 5100 S. State, about 12:15 a.m. Sunday. He brandished a handgun and forced the men to give him a ride, saying only he wanted to go downtown, Hall said.
The man fired two shots into the air, out the window, as the car traveled down State Street, Hall said.
The five men drove north on I-15, exited the freeway at 3300 South and drove to the intersection of 3300 South and 900 West. At that point, there was a struggle, and the four men managed to take the gun away from the man — but not before he fired one shot from the back seat, through the front passenger seat and into the hip of one of the four victims. The bullet grazed the 23-year-old man in the passenger's seat, and he was later treated for the injury at the scene, Hall said.
The four men held the 29-year-old and called police. An off-duty security guard who was at a convenience store at the intersection heard the gunshot and assisted the victims.
"We have not really pinpointed a specific motive," Hall said. "We do know that the suspect and victims did not know each other. The victims didn't even recall seeing him in the bar."
Hall said the 29-year-old man was booked on four counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault and one count of attempted criminal homicide.