MILLCREEK, Utah, Oct. 10, 2022 (Gephardt Daily) — A man who was being evicted from his Millcreek apartment was arrested Sunday after police say he threw glass jars possibly containing hazardous chemicals into a common area at the complex.
Police say Albert Paul Giron, 62, was wearing a mask Saturday when he exited his apartment and threw a glass jar into the common area of an apartment complex at 3330 S. 2700 East.
“Witnesses reported feeling headaches and sore throats after breathing air around this broken jar,” according to a probable cause statement filed Monday in Salt Lake City’s 3rd District Court.
Residents later reported two more jars containing unknown substances being broken at the apartment complex Saturday night and Sunday, along with complaints Giron was “was playing loud music, [and] pounding on walls and the ceiling in attempts to harass neighboring units,” court documents state.
Giron’s landlord told police the man was being evicted and had been given 30 days notice to vacate the apartment, according to the Unified police statement.
The landlord called police about 6:30 p.m. Sunday to inform them he had “cleaned up the broken glass and immediately began to feel sick after using a leaf blower to clear the area,” the statement continues.
The landlord reported feeling lightheaded, a sore throat, a burning sensation on his skin and hot flashes, police said. He later received treatment at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, according to police.
Officers responded Sunday night to Giron’s apartment due to the “possible hazardous nature of unknown contents of glass jars being thrown in to the common area,” the affidavit states.
Police obtained a search warrant, and a SWAT team was utilized to take Giron into custody.
A search of the apartment uncovered “firearms and notes on chemical ingredients,” along with “combinations and methods to cause harm using these chemicals,” according to the police statement.
The landlord also reported receiving “angry texts” from Giron, who “had been heard in the apartment complex grounds speaking loudly about using firearms to shoot people in the area,” the statement continues.
Witnesses also reported seeing Giron “carrying firearms from [his] personal vehicle” to his apartment, police said. He was also heard saying “an unknown individual may soon burn down the apartment complex,” according to the affidavit.
Police say Giron declined to speak to officers. He is being held on $40,000 bail in the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of:
- Three counts of threat of terrorism for preventing or interrupting occupation of a building, a third-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- Threat of violence, a class B misdemeanor
- Disorderly conduct, an infraction
