This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Police in West Valley City on Wednesday night arrested a man suspected of burglarizing multiple homes, trading stolen guns for street drugs and robbing a department store at gunpoint.
Stephen Hammer, 24, had ascended the Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit's "Most Wanted" list in August after he allegedly tried to steal items from Macy's department store in Holladay and pointed a gun at security guards who tried to intervene, said Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell. Hammer fled the store in a pickup truck that investigators said was stolen, Bell said. A few days later, police spotted Hammer in Millcreek, where he led them in a car chase that ended when he drove over a spike strip and fled on foot.
"He's been spotted in probably half a dozen stolen vehicles in the past month," Bell said. "Every time, he's fled and gotten away."
But on Wednesday, UPD officers tracked Hammer to a mobile home near 3500 South and 4200 West. He and a female parole fugitive with him refused to answer the door until officers sent a police dog to the home and ordered it to bark, Bell said. The two people then came outside.
In recent months, police say, Hammer has been suspected in multiple home burglaries, during which he allegedly stole guns and vehicles. He is suspected of trading the stolen guns for drugs, Bell said.
"He's been on a spree all summer," Bell said.