This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated.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.

A man has been charged with firing a gun to allegedly distract West Valley City police from searching a motel last month.

Marco Etsitty, 31, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with five counts of felony discharge of a firearm and a single count of another weapons offense, which are all second-degree felonies.

Two other people were charged last month in connection with the Oct. 21 episode, one for alleged offenses that prompted police to be at the motel where shots were fired, and another for allegedly texting Etsitty about distracting the police.

Daniel Movahhed, 28, was charged with a second-degree-felony weapons offense; five counts of aggravated assault, which are third-degree felonies; and one count of threatening or using a dangerous weapon in a fight or quarrel, which is a misdemeanor.

Ghufran Al-Bander, 21, was also charged with felony discharge of a firearm and another weapons offense, which are second-degree felonies. She was also charged with obstructing justice, a third-degree felony, and false personal information to a peace officer, a misdemeanor.

On Oct. 21, Movahhed allegedly displayed a handgun at a gas station at 1950 W. 3500 South, in West Valley City. A group of people left the store and while walking through a nearby parking lot, a white Cadillac narrowly missed hitting one of them, according to the charges.

One of the people who was at the gas station said that when he returned to a motel, he was walking past Movahhed "when he heard the sound of a gun being racked," the charges add, "and turned around to see Movahhed pointing a gun at [four people]."

An officer arrived at the Sleep Inn motel, near 3440 Decker Lake Drive, to investigate. As he approached a motel room that Movahhed was seen going into, a woman — later identified as Al-Bander — went inside and locked the door, charges state.

The officer intended to serve a search warrant when he heard gunshots from the direction of the Interstate 215 northbound on ramp.

Another West Valley City officer "determined the shots were being fired at him as he could feel the percussion from the shots being fired," according to the charges. No one was hit.

Investigators later found five spent 9mm shell casings on the on ramp. Police also found two 9mm handguns and a .44 Magnum revolver in the motel room.

After searching Etsitty and Al-Bander's phones, police found several text messages between them "relating to distracting the police," according to the charges.

"Al-Bander stated 'we need a distraction,' 'someone needs to go by the furniture store and shoot the gun,' and 'so that their attention is drawn,' " the charges read. "Etsitty replied that he did not have a gun and Al-Bander told him to call someone."

An investigator discovered that Ruben Juan Martine Rocha, 33, allegedly provided the gun used to shoot at police from the on ramp. Police searched a Salt Lake City home and, in a north bedroom, found two 9mm handguns, an AK-47 rifle, two .45 caliber handguns, and a .380 caliber handgun, which was reported stolen in Murray.

Rocha admitted to police that he bought the six firearms, and that the bedroom is his, according to the charges.

Rocha was charged in state court with theft by receiving stolen property, possession or use of a controlled substance, and six counts of possession of a dangerous weapon, the charges were dismissed last week in favor of a federal indictment.

Rocha — who has Utah convictions for second-degree felony robbery and third-degree felony riot — was indicted with one count of felon in possession of a firearm, a charge that carries a potential sentence of 10 years in federal prison. Rocha has pleaded not guilty. A trial is set for Jan. 19.

Two other people — Cortez L. Quarles, 22, and Kamel Al-Bander, 20 — were booked into jail, but neither were charged as of Friday, according to court records.

Movahhed has a scheduling conference set for Dec. 11. Ghufran Al-Bander has a preliminary hearing scheduled for Jan. 5.

A no-bail arrest warrant was issued for Etsitty.

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