WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH – October 23, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – Police have arrested the suspect who allegedly fired at police officers during a standoff in West Valley City on Wednesday night.
The officers were originally responding to reports of an aggravated assault at the Sleep Inn at 3440 Decker Lake Drive when the shots rang out. None of the officers were struck or injured.
At approximately 7 p.m. on Wednesday, West Valley City Police Department received a report from a person at the Sleep Inn that a male who was staying at the hotel had pointed a handgun at them. Police said in a press release the suspect’s room was identified, however, officers were unable to contact anyone inside the room. Officers then began the process of authoring a search warrant for the room.
While waiting for the warrant to be approved, officers maintained visual contact with the door to the room. Several other officers were holding containment on the west side of the hotel. At approximately 10:10 p.m., multiple shots were fired from a vehicle on the north bound on-ramp to I-215. It is believed that these shots were fired at those officers.
Officers from multiple agencies responded to assist in this incident. Around this same time, the warrant to search the room was approved and entry was made into the hotel room. Inside the room, officers recovered multiple firearms as well as stolen property. Three men and one woman were taken into custody.
Ghufren Al-Bander, 21, was booked for possession of a firearm by a restricted person, aggravated assault on a police officer and obstruction of justice. Danial Movahhed, 29, was booked on aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a restricted person and brandishing a firearm. Lenard Cortez, 22, was booked on outstanding warrants. Kamel Al-Bander, 20, was transported to hospital, not related to anything involving a police officer.
Investigators were able to later identify 31-year-old Marco Etsitty as the person who fired at officers. He was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Friday morning and is currently being held on a parole violation.  Investigators recovered multiple shell casings at scene. During the search of the hotel room, evidence was also discovered that links the people in the hotel room to the shooting. Police have reason to believe that one or more of the people in the hotel room conspired with the shooter.
If anyone has information about this crime, they should call West Valley Police at 801.840.4000.
