SALT LAKE CITY — A man accused in a vehicle theft and violent home invasion that left a woman seriously injured is now facing charges.
Mafitangata Austin Pulu, 25, of Salt Lake City was charged in 3rd District Court Monday with aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; aggravated assault and theft, second-degree felonies; and possession of a dangerous weapon and failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, class A misdemeanors.
Pulu was arrested June 6 after a woman called police to report the home she shares with her mother and sister had been robbed, and her mother had been assaulted, according to charging documents.
The woman told police her house “had been ransacked” and she found her mother semi-conscious on her bed, covered in blood from a head injury and only partially dressed, police said. She reported her mother’s laptop, purse, wallet and credit cards were missing. The mother was hospitalized with a skull fractures and injuries to her brain.
According to the charges, the woman’s sister noticed her mother’s car was missing and reported it stolen.
West Valley police found the missing car parked in an apartment complex with Pulu sitting in it, charges state. Pulu ran when police approached, charges state, and was arrested when he tried to jump a fence and fell. When police took Pulu into custody, they found he had the car keys, a small knife and a bloody towel.
According to the charges, Pulu also had blood on his clothes that did not appear to come from him.
Police say the woman who reported the stolen car came to the scene and identified it. She identified several of her mother’s missing items for police, and they found items that didn’t belong to any of the victims, such as male clothing and shoes, and drug paraphernalia.
When the mother was able to speak to police several days later, she had almost no memory of what had happened to her but said she had not invited anyone to her home and hadn’t been expecting anyone, charges state. She was almost completely deaf in both ears due to her injuries.
According to charging documents, Pulu has a prior history of domestic violence and assault.
He is being held on a $750,000 bail.