This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A West Valley man who was involved in a police shootout in July is now facing felony charges related to the incident.
Ramon Silvestre Franco, 31, was charged in 3rd District Court Thursday with four felony counts: attempted aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, theft by receiving stolen property and failure to stop or respond at command of police.
He is expected to make his initial appearance in court on Tuesday.
Franco is accused of ordering his 19-year-old girlfriend, Celene Hernandez, to get into his car on July 17. She said no, according to her statement to police, but Franco allegedly showed her a gun and again told her to get into the car. The woman complied.
According to a probable cause statement filed in court, police were looking for Franco that night, suspecting that he had committed an armed robbery in West Valley City. West Valley police officers located the man, who was driving a stolen Toyota Camry with Hernandez inside, and when they tried to pull him over in Glendale, the man allegedly drove off.
A 15-20 minute chase ensued through Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Kearns and Taylorsville. During the chase, the suspect allegedly fired numerous rounds at officers, and the gunfire intensified after UPD successfully spiked the tires of the suspects' vehicle near 4500 South and Redwood Road, according to police. Police returned fire, according to court records.
Both Franco and Hernandez were injured by gunfire. The woman later told police that her boyfriend told her to run, and as she was running away, "she thought she had been hit by a water balloon," but realized later she had been shot in the side.
No officers were hit in the shootout, though a police cruiser and an apartment building were damaged by gunfire.
Twitter: @jm_miller