WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, May 16, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — The suspect accused of ramming West Valley City Police cars while attempting to leave a loud party, where shots were allegedly fired, has been identified by investigators.
Herasmo Adam Galdean, 23, faces charges of:
- Aggravated assault/attempt with force or violence to injure, a third-degree felony
- Failure to stop at command of law enforcement, a class A misdemeanor
- DUI – alcohol/drugs or combo, a class B misdemeanor
- Driving on a denied license, a class C misdemeanor
- Failed to register or expired registration, an infraction
A neighbor called police, and told officers the suspect entered the wrong house from a neighboring loud party.
“The complainant was not certain if the suspect was retaliating from their complaint of peace disturbance/loud party,” says a probable cause statement filed by an officer of the West Valley City Police Department.
“The suspect exited the house and upon returning to the loud party next door, the complainant observed that a fight broke out next door and gun shots were fired.”
Officers responded and exited their cars, and while on foot, they saw the accused person (AP) and told him to stop, the statement says.
“AP failed to stop, and fled on foot, and was observed entering in and becoming the driver and only occupant of a gray KIA Optima. AP then rammed into an unoccupied police car while attempting to flee. AP then backed up and attempted to run over a police officer who had to move out of the way to avoid being struck by AP’s vehicle, and crashed into the police car again.”
The AP, identified as Galdean, was removed from the car and was arrested, the statement says.
“AP had a strong odor of alcohol, which was observed by smell from his breath and person. AP slurred his words and had both redness and glossy eye appearance in both eyes,” the statement says, adding he performed poorly on several standard sobriety tests.
“AP admitted to having consumed alcohol,” the statement says. “AP was found to have denied DP (driver license) and AP’s vehicle had expired registration according to police records.”
Galdean provided blood for a test, and results are pending, the police statement says.
Post Miranda, Galdean admitted to evading police and intentionally crashing into cars to leave a party which he was invited to and where he consumed two to three beers, it says. When he was asked what happened at the party, he stated ‘I got drunk.'”
Galdean’s bail was set at $25,000, and he no longer appears on current inmate records.
