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MAGNA — Two teenage gang members are facing charges in juvenile court in a violent six-hour crime spree in Magna that including a shooting, an armed robbery, an assault and an attempted carjacking.
The boys, both 16, were charged June 15 in 3rd District Juvenile Court with two counts of aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; aggravated assault, a second-degree felony; felony discharge of a firearm, three counts of possession of a weapon by a restricted person and obstructing justice, all third-degree felonies; in addition to seven misdemeanor crimes.
KSL has opted not to name the teens at this time.
The duo's crime spree began just after midnight on May 31 near 2600 South and 8040 West when they approached a man walking home from work wearing a red shirt and a red hat, according to charging documents.
"The males asked him where he was from and placed a pistol to his head," the charges state. "The males told him they better not catch him wearing red in their hood again."
Investigators believe the two were "rolling up" on the victim, or checking out what gang a person is from to challenge them, according to court documents. After he was arrested, one of the teens told investigators that "he is a 38th Street Gang member and no one can wear red in his hood."
About an hour later, the teens walked into a Shell gas station, 8145 W. 3500 South, armed with a handgun and knife and threatened a woman working behind the counter to "give them everything she has," the charges state. They took beer, cash from the register and the clerk's cellphone, which they smashed outside the store, according to the charges.
One of the teens later admitted to police that "if the clerk had done anything he was going to kill her — he planned on shooting her if she moved wrong," the charges state.
"The males told him they better not catch him wearing red in their hood again." — Charging documents
Then, about 5:45 a.m., near 8700 W. Coppertree Lane, police say the teens attempted to carjack a woman who was pulling out of an apartment complex in an F-150 pickup truck, the charges state.
The woman noticed the teens in the road walking toward her and tried to avoid them. That's when one of the teen's walked to the driver's side door, flashed a gun and said, "Guess what's up …," while the other teen tried to open the door, according to charging documents.
The woman, "fearing for her life, ducked down and accelerated," investigators wrote. A shot was fired and the rear driver's side window was blown out.
After fleeing to a safe place and calling police, the woman said she could "clearly see a bullet hole in her door."
After his arrest, one of the teens said he was "upset" because the woman almost ran him over, so he fired, the charges state.
