SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, March 16, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A Salt Lake City man has been arrested after he allegedly tried to hijack a UTA bus.
A probable cause statement from the 3rd District Court of Salt Lake City said Francis Xavier Barth, 61, is facing charges of:
- Assault with intent to commit bus hijacking, a first-degree felony
- Criminal mischief, a second-degree felony
- Aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
Barth threatened to kill a UTA bus driver Saturday morning, the statement said.
“He then sprayed a fire extinguisher all over the bus, and chased the bus driver throwing the fire extinguisher at him,” the statement said. “Mr. Barth told the driver to go back to Mexico, and that he was going to run him over when he gets the bus going. He sat in the bus driver’s seat after the driver ran for safety.”
The bus windshield was cracked during the incident, the statement said.
“According to the bus driver, Mr. Barth became violent for an unknown reason, with no provocation,” the statement said. “Fortunately there were no other passengers on the bus during the incident.”
Barth was transported to Salt Lake County Jail with his bail set at $35,030.
