SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Feb. 24, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A Salt Lake City man accused of threatening to shoot and kill an ambulance team that responded to his home on a Saturday morning medical call is now facing multiple charges, including two felonies for aggravated assault.
A probable cause statement filed in Salt Lake County Third District Court says Sebastian Hernandez, 23, was being attended to by “fire and ambulance personnel when he became combative refusing to be treated or taken to the hospital.
“After trying to engage fire personnel in a physical fight fire personnel left the scene,” according to the probable cause statement.
Hernandez then retreated inside his residence near 600 East 2500 South and returned “with what ambulance personnel described as a black semi automatic style handgun.”
“(Hernandez) waved the gun at the two victims yelling obscenities. Victims state (Hernandez) then pointed the firearm at them saying ‘I’m going to kill you,’ communicating a threat and making an immediate show of force with a dangerous weapon,” the document says.
The ambulance team, described as “victims” in the probable cause statement, “began quickly driving away and stated Hernandez ran after them still pointing the handgun towards them.”
The ambulance crew escaped unharmed and drove to a nearby fire station for safety and waited for police.
According to the SLCPD PR Unit statement, officers arrived at the suspect’s house and started locking down the area.
“Around 3:44 a.m., the suspect exited the house, refused to cooperate, and then went back inside the house,” the SLCPD PR statement said.
“Due to the rapidly changing situation, the on-scene incident commander started a reverse 9-1-1 to notify neighbors and requested them remain inside.”
The incident commander further requested the assistance of SLCPD SWAT and crisis negotiators.
“At 4:28 a.m., the suspect exited the house for a second time and refused to cooperate. Officers used a less-lethal shotgun trying to gain compliance from the suspect. However, the suspect refused and retreated into the home.”
Officers continued attempts to negotiate with the suspect, police said, including doing callouts and speaking to him on the phone.
“At 4:36 a.m. the suspect exited the home after speaking with the on-scene incident commander by phone. The suspect safely surrendered.”
Once Hernandez was examined and cleared by medical personnel, he was ordered held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail.
