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HEBER CITY — A Heber City man faces criminal charges after allegedly trying to load a gun inside a store before he was tackled by two customers.
Jose Sosa, 28, was charged Monday in Wasatch County's 4th District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, a second-degree felony; threatening to use a weapon during a fight, a class A misdemeanor; and disorderly conduct, a class C misdemeanor.
On Friday, Sosa went into Sportsman Warehouse in Heber City and asked to look at a .357 revolver handgun, according to a probable cause affidavit. After asking how much the gun cost, "Jose placed the handgun in his pocket. He told the manager 'thanks' and began to walk away from the counter with the handgun in his pocket," the charges state.
The store manager tried to stop Sosa from walking away. That's when the manager noticed Sosa was attempting to load the gun, according to charging documents.
"The manager, fearing that Jose was attempting to cause harm to other individuals, grabbed the firearm that was in Jose's hands. Jose would not let go of the handgun," the charges state. "During the struggle for the handgun, Jose had pointed the handgun at the manager."
A customer tackled Sosa after seeing what was happening, the charges state. A second customer then ran over and helped take the gun away from him. The customers were then able to detain Sosa until police arrived.
When officers searched his pockets, they found ammunition for the gun he was trying to load, the charges state.
The manager, fearing that Jose was attempting to cause harm to other individuals, grabbed the firearm that was in Jose's hands. Jose would not let go of the handgun.
–Charges
Heber City police were already familiar with Sosa. In addition to being convicted of aggravated robbery, in 2011 police noted in an arrest affidavit that "he has made comments that he will sit outside the sheriff's office and 'snipe' officers as they leave the office."
"Jose is mentally unstable and violent with others when he does not take his medications. Jose told officers that he had not taken his medications," the charges state.
