LAYTON, Utah, April 13, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Layton man is facing a first-degree felony attempted murder charge after alleged altercations with two victims Sunday.
A probable cause statement from the 2nd District Court of Davis County said Derek Robert Holmes, 32, is also facing charges of:
- DUI with two or more prior convictions within 10 years, a third-degree felony
- Assault, a class A misdemeanor
- Threat/use of a dangerous weapon in a fight, a class A misdemeanor
- Unlawful possession/purchase/transfer of a dangerous weapon, a class A misdemeanor
- Alcohol restricted driver, a class B misdemeanor
- Custodial interference, a class B misdemeanor
The arresting officer responded to a domestic in progress in the area of 1600 N. Angel St. in Layton Sunday just after 7 p.m., the statement said.
“It was reported there was a suspect, later identified as Derek Holmes, who had just been in a physical altercation with several other individuals,” the statement said. “It had been reported Holmes had used a knife in the fight and had injured one of the other parties and Holmes had started to flee the scene.”
The arresting officer saw Holmes driving north from the location, swerving from side to side before coming to a stop in the area of 1800 N. Angel St.
“The driver, identified as Holmes, pulled the vehicle to the side of the road and exited from the driver seat,” the statement said. “He was confrontational and non-compliant with officers. He was asked multiple times to sit on the curb or get on the ground. Holmes did sit on the curb for a moment but got up shortly after. He started coming at the officer multiple times. He was verbally aggressive with officers as he begged them to shoot him.”
Holmes was Tased and placed into handcuffs, the statement said.
The strong odor of alcohol could be detected from Holmes’ breath, the statement said. He had bloodshot, glossy eyes, slurred speech, and had trouble completing sentences.
“He would cry, suddenly become aggressive, then calm down all within a short period,” the statement said. “He did admit to officers that he had consumed alcohol prior to driving.”
During the investigation, it was discovered Holmes and his live-in girlfriend had an argument.
“During the argument Holmes had grabbed the victim by the throat and threw her against a vehicle,” the statement said. “Shortly later Holmes approached victim two and engaged in another physical altercation. During this altercation victim two had fallen to the ground while Holmes got over the top of victim two. Holmes produced a knife and attempted to stab victim two. Victim two informed officers Holmes stated he was going to kill him as he was attempting to stab him.”
Victim two stated he grabbed the knife by the blade as the suspect attempted to stab him on the ground. This resulted in victim two getting severe injuries to his hand.
The altercations with both victims were caught on cell phone cameras, the statement said.
Holmes is a convicted felon, meaning he is not allowed to be in possession of a dangerous weapon. Because of prior convictions, his charge of DUI was enhanced to a third-degree felony.
The suspect was transported to Davis County Jail, where he is being held without bail.
