SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Jan. 6, 2023 (Gephardt Daily) — Thirteen juveniles have been arrested after police say they assaulted an employee at a downtown shopping center on Black Friday.
Salt Lake City police say the 38-year-old man had asked several people on skateboards to leave the area in front of a store at The Gateway near 100 S. Rio Grande St. on Nov. 25.
“Instead of leaving, the group of approximately 17 people turned on the employee,” according to a news release Friday from the Salt Lake City Police Department.
“The group surrounded the employee and knocked him to the ground, where they punched, kicked and stomped on him. Some of the group used skateboards to cause further harm and injury to the victim.”
The employee was transported by ambulance to an area hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, police said.
Officers responded about 6:30 p.m., but those involved already had run away, police said.
The same group of people had been escorted from another store at the open-air shopping mall after “causing a disturbance,” according to police.
Police tweeted photos of those allegedly involved but later deleted the post because “at least one person depicted in the photo release is now confirmed to be a minor,” a follow-up tweet stated.
Tips and information from the social media post and news release allowed detectives to identify and arrest 13 of the 17 people involved, police said. All 13 arrested were juveniles, according to police.
Five of the juveniles have been arrested for investigation of aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, and riot, a third-degree felony, police said.
Eight others have been arrested for riot, a third-degree felony.
SLCPD’s Robbery and Violent Crimes Squad investigated the incident as aggravated assault with a riot enhancement because of the large number of people involved, according to the news release.
