WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah, July 14, 2026 (Gephardt Daily) — An arrest document filed for a 48-year-old man after he allegedly stabbed a man near a kiosk at Valley Fair Mall, leaving the victim with life-threatening injuries, said the accused man told investigators he was motivated by religion.
Peter Michael Larsen, 48, told investigators, post Miranda, that “he had targeted the victim with intent to kill him because of his religion (Muslim),” the affidavit says.
Larsen was arrested for investigation of:
- Attempted murder, a first-degree felony
- Prohibited dangerous weapon conduct, category 1, a third-degree felony
Police were dispatched to the Valley Fair Mall, at 3601 S. Constitution Blvd., says the arrest document, filed by an officer of the West Valley City Police Department.
It states that on Monday, at about 2:30 p.m., “multiple calls came in to dispatch stating two males at the Valley Fair Mall were involved in a physical altercation where one male was stabbing the other.
“When officers arrived, mall bystanders had (Larsen) pinned to the ground and had already removed the knife from his hand.”
Several officers took Larsen into custody while others “tended the male victim, who had multiple stab wounds all over his body and was
bleeding profusely. Fire arrived shortly after and transported the victim in Delta condition.”
A brief statement released by West Valley City police on Monday says the attack happened after a brief exchange between the stabber and the victim. The victim was taken into surgery. No update has been provided on the man’s medical status.
The arrest document says Larsen was also transported to the hospital because he had been “punched in the head from bystanders trying to get the knife out of his hand.”
Gephardt Daily photo by @SLCNightWatch
Multiple witnesses were interviewed on scene. All completed statements and some provided videos of the stabbing, the arrest document says.
Larsen was medically cleared and transported to the police station, where he was read his Miranda rights and agreed to be interviewed, the document says.
Larsen said the attack was because of the victim’s religion, and “he stated he believes he is a catalyst and he intends to kill Muslims. (Larsen) constitutes a substantial danger to the public if released based on his violent actions today, ideologies and pre-planned mass casualty events.”
Larsen was ordered held without bail in the Salt Lake County jail. Arrest records show that he was also charged with violation of probation or parole. A records check shows he has previous convictions for felony violent crimes, and was on probation or parole at the time of this incident.
