LOGAN — A man awaiting trial on federal charges of shooting at an FBI agent now faces additional charges for allegedly trying to escape from the Cache County Jail over the weekend.
Cecil Vijil Jr., 37, was charged Monday in 1st District Court with escaping from official custody, a third-degree felony; and failing to stop at the command of police, a class A misdemeanor.
On Sunday, Vijil managed to scale two perimeter fences at the Cache County Jail and run into an area of fields next to the jail, according to the Cache County Sheriff’s Office. Police were quickly able to surround Vijil “in the middle of a pasture with cows” near 2200 West and 1600 North, according to a police affidavit.
Using binoculars, police saw Vijil “arm himself with a large piece of lumber and fashion fabric around one end in what appeared to be an attempt to make a weapon or a club,” the affidavit states.
Law enforcers from several jurisdictions armed with “several lethal and less lethal options” then began to close in on Vijil, according to the affidavit.
“We approached Mr. Vijil and he was standing on a raised piece of land with a body of water between us,” the affidavit states. “Mr. Vijil then began walking out into the body of water still armed with the board.”
An officer then began negotiating with Vijil.
“Mr. Vijil expressed that he didn’t want to go back and wanted us to shoot him,” according to the affidavit.
Police then explained to Vijil they were prepared to use less lethal force to take him back into custody. After several minutes of talking to him, Vijil surrendered without further incident, the affidavit states.
Federal court records indicate that Vijil was arrested in May 2020 after a four-day manhunt after he allegedly shot at law enforcement. According to police, Vijil hid behind his home and fired multiple rounds from an AR-style rifle at an FBI agent and San Juan police officer when they responded to a reported incident at Vijil’s home near Aneth in San Juan County.
No one was injured in the incident and Vijil was arrested days later while walking along a road on tribal land near Cortez, Colorado.
Vijil is facing federal charges in Utah’s U.S. District Court of assault on a federal officer and discharging a weapon during a crime. He was being detained in jail waiting for a jury trial to be scheduled after a trial set for January was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.