This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
West Valley City police have arrested a third suspect in a Tuesday home-invasion robbery in which two children were allegedly terrorized by gun-toting suspects.
Police Sgt. Mike Powell confirmed that a 28-year-old man was taken into custody about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday in neighboring Midvale by West Valley City detectives acting on a tip. Further details on the arrest were not immediately available.
The suspect joins a 33-year-old man and a 24-year-old woman now behind bars in connection with the 12:40 a.m. break-in Tuesday at a home near 3600 South and 3000 West.
The trio were in Salt Lake County jail, booked on suspicion of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary.
Powell said the three allegedly burst in on two girls, ages 15 and 10, while they were waiting for their mother to return from the store.
One home invader held the girls at gunpoint, covering them with a blanket as the other two suspects ransacked the house and gathered up several items.
"As the suspects were finishing up, the mother arrived home. She entered and confronted the suspects, interrupting the robbery. All three suspects ran out … and fled in a vehicle," Powell said.
The mother followed the three as they drove away in an SUV, reporting the incident with her cell phone to police.
West Valley City and Taylorsville police caught up with the suspects near 6200 South and 2500 West, where they had crashed and fled on foot. One man and the woman were soon in custody, but the second man escaped and had been the target of a manhunt until his arrest late Tuesday.
Bob Mims