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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police officers staked out in front of a hotel looking for an aggravated assault suspect were shot at by unknown individuals from a car on a freeway on-ramp Wednesday night.
No officers were injured, but police believe the four people who were later found inside the hotel and arrested had been communicating with the shooter or shooters.
Text messages detailed in Salt Lake County Jail documents indicate the shooter was trying was trying to create a diversion so those in the hotel room could try to get away.
The incident began about 7 p.m. when police received a call from a person at the Sleep Inn, 3440 Decker Lake Drive, saying someone had pointed a gun at them, said West Valley police spokeswoman Roxeanne Vainuku.
When officers arrived at the hotel, they were able to identify the room where the alleged gunman was staying. They attempted to make contact with the person or people in the room, but no one answered. At that point, the West Valley officers went back outside the hotel and waited for a search warrant to be signed by a judge, Vainuku said.
About three hours later, just after 10 p.m., multiple shots were fired from a vehicle on the northbound on-ramp to I-215, Vainuku said. No officers or patrol cars were hit. Vainuku was unsure Thursday where the bullets ended up. Several shell casings were recovered from the scene.
Officers from multiple agencies responded to assist and look for the vehicle. About the same time, the search warrant was approved.
Officers entered the hotel room where they found Ghufran Al-Bander, 21, Danial Movahhed, 28, Lenard Cortez, 22, and Kamel Al-Bander, 20. In addition, multiple firearms were seized, she said.
Ghufran Al-Bander knew officers were outside the hotel room, jail documents say, and sent out a text saying, "Someone needs to go by the furniture store and shoot the gun, so that their attention is drawn.
A second text sent out by Ghufran Al-Bander repeated the same request, according to jail records.
"There's cops surrounding the (expletive) room. We need a distraction. We need someone ASAP to come shoot so that attention goes to that," she reportedly wrote.
Three of the individuals were booked into the Salt Lake County Jail. Ghufran Al-Bander was arrested for investigation of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, aggravated assault on a police officer and obstruction of justice.
Movahhed was arrested for investigation of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm by a restricted person and brandishing a firearm; and Cortez was booked on outstanding warrants. Kamel Al-Bander was taken to a local hospital for an undisclosed reason.
Witnesses told police Movahhed had brandished a gun at them twice Wednesday evening, first at a Sinclair gas station at 1905 W. 3500 South and a short time later inside a hallway of the hotel.
Utah state court records show Movahhed was convicted in March of felony drug possession and placed on probation, and attempted drug distribution in 2013.
Anyone with information about the shooting can call police at 801-840-4000.
Contributing: Alex Cabrero
