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SALT LAKE CITY — A Taylorsville man accused of firing a shot at a Utah Highway Patrol trooper to scare him now faces felony charges, including assaulting an officer.
Damion Williams, 25, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court with aggravated kidnapping and aggravated robbery, both first-degree felonies, as well as assaulting a peace officer, a second-degree felony.
A UHP trooper attempted to pull over a motorist who was driving recklessly Dec. 19 on I-215. As the vehicle passed the 3500 South on-ramp, the driver made a U-turn and drove the wrong direction down the on-ramp.
The woman who was driving pulled over a short time later, and a second vehicle driven by Williams pulled up alongside her car and the trooper, according to court documents. Williams signaled toward the woman, who got out of her car and "ran screaming" toward Williams, according to the charges.
The woman, pursued by the trooper, tripped and fell. As the officer attempted to take her into custody, he heard a gunshot whiz past his head and looked up to see the second car drive off.
Williams was arrested Dec. 22 after a chase when police spotted him driving in a car with three other men. The owner of the car told police Williams had approached him in a parking lot at Valley Fair Mall and told him at gunpoint, "I need your help. Move over." Williams then got into the car, charges state.
At the time of the arrest, Williams was carrying a Phoenix Arms .25 automatic handgun loaded with eight hollow-point rounds, according to the charges. A ninth round was found in his pocket.
Williams was also charged with possession of a firearm by a restricted person, a second-degree felony; two counts of theft by receiving stolen property, a second-degree felony; failure to respond to an officer's signal to stop, a third-degree felony; and altering a serial number on a pistol or revolver, a class A misdemeanor.
Criminal history
Williams, who also goes by the street monikers "Qwik" and "Little Brother," also had a warrant issued for his arrest on Dec. 2 for failing to comply with the conditions of his probation. He was convicted in December 2013 of felony joyriding/unauthorized control of a vehicle for an extended period of time after police found a stolen car and determined he had used it to ride to Wendover, according to court records. Williams was sentenced to several months in jail for that incident.
In July, he was convicted of felony attempted burglary and theft. But Williams failed to show up for sentencing, and another arrest warrant was issued on Sept. 30, according to court records. In 2008, Williams was convicted of theft, drug possession and joyriding/unauthorized control and theft by receiving stolen property in three separate cases.
Williams was also convicted in 2008 for felony fleeing. He was originally given probation but was sent to prison after violating the terms of his probation. In 2009, he was sentenced to up to five years in prison for convictions of felony fleeing and wrongful appropriation.
According to Utah State Prison officials, Williams was sent to prison in December 2009 for violating probation. He was paroled in April 2011 and returned to prison about a year later for parle violation. Williams' prison term was terminated in October 2013. He was placed on felony probation again in May.
