PROVO, Utah, Oct. 1, 2019 (Gephardt Daily) — An 18-year-old man was taken into custody after allegedly bringing two guns to a Provo school in a vehicle.
A probable cause statement from Utah County said Joel Salazar is facing charges of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; possession of a firearm on school premises, a class A misdemeanor; and threat/use of a dangerous weapon in a fight, a class A misdemeanor.
The statement said that on Wednesday, Salazar came to the Provo High School and was stopped in the student pick up/drop off lane of the student parking lot. He was there for approximately 20 minutes.
At some point during this time, Salazar got out of his vehicle and was hugging a female passenger that had exited the car.
“The defendant was approached by two male students of the school and the two males assaulted the defendant,” the statement said. “During questioning of the two males, one of them said that the reason that they confronted the defendant was because Tuesday, the defendant had pulled out a gun and brandished it at the one male. The other two males are being charged with simple assault.”
Salazar was taken into the school by administration when the fight was broken up.
Police went out to Salazar’s vehicle that was still stopped in the pick up/drop off lane.
“From the outside of the driver side window, there was a chrome and black firearm that was visible in front of the driver seat,” the statement said. “The firearm was half concealed by the floor mat.”
Officials then requested and were granted a search warrant; a search of the vehicle produced two hand guns. One was a pellet/BB gun and the other was a .22 caliber hand gun.
“In talking with the defendant after being advised of his rights, he stated that he did get into a verbal/hand sign altercation Tuesday with one of the students involved in the fight Wednesday,” the statement said. “The defendant said that while pulling up to his house, one of the male students slowed down as he passed his house and flipped him off. Your defendant said that he accelerated, passing the other vehicle on the right shoulder and pulled in front of the male and flipped him off back.”
Salazar said that he turned and the other vehicle began to follow him, and that he then pulled out the BB gun and held it in the air. The student in the other vehicle said that Salazar passed him, flipped him off and held the gun up right after and that was the reason they began to follow him.
“The same male student said that while walking along the sidewalk last week, that the defendant swerved his vehicle right towards him and the vehicle swerved away at the last second,” the statement said. “The girlfriend of the defendant corroborated this event and told detectives that she had to grab the wheel and turn the vehicle when the defendant was heading towards the student.” At least one of the guns was in the car at that time too, officials were told.
Salazar was transported to the Utah County Jail with his bail set at $5,000.
