SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 6, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Salt Lake City police have arrested Wilber Castellano Hernandez after he allegedly stole a U.S. Postal Service truck and resisted arrest, injuring three officers in Davis County.
Hernandez, 32 and a Salt Lake City resident, was arrested Monday for investigation of a single count of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony. Actual charges will be determined by the Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office.
Court documents say Salt Lake City police responded at 12:51 p.m. to a report of a suspicious person in the area of 1600 W. Northwood Ave.
“As officers arrived it was reported by the victim, who is a postal employee, that (the man later determined to be Hernandez) had stolen a mail truck. When the postal employee confronted the (man, he) pulled out a knife threatening the mail employee.
The man then fled in the truck, and “the US Postal Service was able to track the vehicle’s location using GPS technology in the postal vehicle,” Hernandez’s affidavit says. “The vehicle was soon located in Davis County and the suspect was taken into custody while still in possession of the postal vehicle.”
Davis County
The Centerville Police Department also shared its account of what happened while they, Bountiful and West Bountiful police, and Davis County Sheriff officials were working to take Hernandez into custody.
“On Feb. 5, 2024, at about 1330 hours Centerville Police officers became involved in a situation involving a stolen USPS Mail delivery truck which was wanted in connection to a hit and run and for nearly striking two people in a vehicle repair shop parking lot in Bountiful. Centerville officers working with officers from Bountiful, West Bountiful, and other allied agencies attempted to stop the mail truck after the truck came to a dead-end road at the UPRR tracks, located at about 950 W. Porter Lane in Centerville.”
During the attempt to stop the mail truck, it ran into a civilian truck and nearly struck a Centerville officer. It then went into a restricted commercial lot where the driver threw out items from the mail truck, the affidavit says. The truck was eventually stopped by another Centerville officer who blocked its forward path. Other officers were able to block the truck in from behind.
“The suspect began driving the truck and was ramming a Centerville Police Patrol Unit,” the statement says. “Officers then attempted to verbally engage with the occupant of the truck to have him voluntarily exit the mail truck, but he was not compliant and became threatening to the officers using a knife and later an item used in a manner to look like a firearm.
“Officers deployed Taser guns and other less lethal options multiple times in their attempts to obtain compliance. A Spanish-speaking officer arrived and began attempting to communicate with the suspect without success.”
Officers also used about 40 rounds of pepperball munitions. The subject was struck by some of these less lethal rounds, which also included beanbag rounds, “but he continued to resist officers and threatened them multiple times with the object made to look like a firearm. During the barricaded episode, which lasted about 45 minutes, the subject was not communicative and at times was trying to barricade himself in the back of the mail truck while throwing items at the officers.”
After roughly 45 minutes, the suspect surrendered to officers, “but he bit one officer on the hand as she was attempting to protect his head,” the Centerville PD news release says.
Return to Salt Lake County
Once in SLCPD custody, Hernandez was read his Miranda Rights, and “stated he had taken a truck which he recognized as a mail truck. (He) admitted to using an object which he described as being like a knife, in order to keep the uniformed postal employee away from the vehicle. (He) said he took the vehicle and drove it around until he was eventually stopped by police and taken into custody.”
The SLCPD statement says Hernandez, “who is not a U.S. citizen, currently has several outstanding warrants which he has failed to appear to court on. In this incident he stole a government vehicle and threatened the victim mail carrier with a weapon when confronted in the vehicle.”
The affidavit asked that Hernandez be jailed without bail, which he was.
Centerville police added that the US Postal Inspection Service is involved in this investigation as it is a federal offense to steal mail.
“We feel fortunate that this incident did not result in serious injury to the suspect, officers, or any innocent persons. Officers on scene used restraint and drew on many hours of training to resolve the incident without loss of life.”
