SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, July 15, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Three men have been arrested in an alleged stolen car operation at Salt Lake City International Airport.
Officers with the Salt Lake City Police Department’s Airport Division began investigating about 7 p.m. Friday when three men were observed looking into cars in the airport’s economy parking lot.
“Based on the suspicious behavior of the suspects, officers thought the men came to the airport to steal a car or break into parked cars,” SLCPD stated in a news release Monday. “During their investigation, officers caught up with the men and attempted a traffic stop. The driver took off and refused to stop.”
The men later exited the car and fled on foot but were caught by SLCPD with the assistance of K-9 units.
All three men were located and taken into custody, police said. One of the men sustained a leg injury after he jumped over a fence while fleeing from officers, according to SLCPD.
Officers also found a backpack belonging to one of the men and uncovered blank car key fobs and key cards to a nearby motel, police said.
Officers with SLCPD’s Auto Theft Unit obtained a warrant and searched the motel room, where they found more evidence of a coordinated stolen car operation, according to police.
Police also found a laptop, other hardware used to communicate electronic signals, and a device used to program key fobs inside the stolen car from which the men fled.
Jose Alejandro Pavon-Estopian, 30, Yoel Hernandez Fromata, 37, and Vainer Pinollotoro, 29, were arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County jail for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing in a vehicle, failing to stop at the command of police, and possession of burglary tools.
None of the men have ties to Salt Lake City, police said.
