OGDEN, Utah, Sept. 12, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Three suspects have been booked into the Weber County Jail following an early morning SWAT standoff in Ogden.
The men were arrested in connection with a home invasion robbery in the 200 East block of 30th Street. Lt. Nate Cline of the Ogden Police Department told Gephardt Daily the incident began around 4 a.m. Monday with police responding to a call of shots fired in or near the home.
When officers arrived on scene, they saw a masked man carrying a handgun exit the home, and then hurry back inside.
Police also discovered an injured man, believed to be a victim of the home invasion. His injuries were not life-threatening, and he was treated at a local hospital and released.
Officers surrounded the residence. Witnesses initially reported that several masked suspects had forced their way into the home, and that shots may have been fired outside the home, according to information released by Cline.
The suspects demanded drugs from the occupants inside the home, Cline’s prepared statement said.
Ogden Metro SWAT was summoned to the scene. During the initial stages, it was not clear whether the victims were being held against their will or had hidden within the residence. Police later determined that seven occupants were hidden in the home, and had contacted police by cell phone. Those four men and three women were safely evacuated from the home.
The standoff ended just before 9 a.m. when SWAT team members fired as many as five tear gas canisters into the residence. A K-9 unit was also on hand to help control suspects.
Ogden Metro SWAT located and extracted four more men from the home. Investigators believe one man was a victim. The other three were taken into custody.
The suspects arrested and each charged with one count of aggravated robbery and one count of aggravated burglary of a dwelling are Lance Remus Hardy, 31; Mark Anthony Pizana, 24; and Oscar Bermejo-Zaragoza, 18.
The Ogden Police Department also responded to a similar home invasion robbery called in at 1 a.m. Monday at a residence near 2100 South and Tyler Avenue.
In that case, three suspects forced their way into the home and also assaulted a male victim, whose injuries were not life-threatening. An adult female resident of the home was not injured.
Cline’s report said the suspects stole property from the home, and fled the area before officers arrived on scene.
Investigators are working to establish whether the incidents are related.
