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SALT LAKE CITY — Three people — two of them wanted fugitives — were arrested Thursday after allegedly shooting more than a dozen rounds at U.S. marshals.
About 8:45 p.m., members of the marshals' Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team went to a residence near 500 S. Redwood Road looking for two fugitives, one wanted by Adult Probation and Parole and the other a federal fugitive who also had a warrant out for her arrest, according to the U.S. Marshals Service in Utah.
As officers approached the home, they "took a barrage of gunfire," the marshals said in a statement. An estimated 15 to 20 rounds were fired at officers. Two officers returned fire. No injuries were reported.
The marshals retreated and took cover and the Unified police SWAT team was called to assist.
About 11:30 p.m., three people inside the house — two of whom were the original targets — surrendered without further incident, according to the marshals.
Anthony Lee Epifanio Welch, 46, who was wanted by Adult Probation and Parole, and Valarie Humphrey, 48, who was wanted on the federal warrant, were arrested.
Welch had previously been arrested twice by the apprehension team while Humphrey was arrested by the team three times prior to Thursday.
The confrontation came just hours after U.S. marshals and Adult Probation and Parole held a press conference to tout the success of their ongoing partnership. According to the Utah Department of Corrections, strike team officers assisted parole agents in making 183 "high profile arrests" of parole and probation fugitives during 2020.
Matthew Harris, head of the U.S. Marshals Service in Utah, said about half of the people the team is asked to help track down are Adult Probation and Parole fugitives.
"We are not talking about your petty small level criminal and low level drug dealers. These are the most violent and dangerous criminals in our community," Harris said.
The average number of times a parole fugitive is arrested prior to being captured by the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team is 10.3, Harris said, noting that many people go back to their old ways after a short stay in jail. As an example, Harris said his officers recently captured a man wanted for bank robbery who had been arrested 68 times previously.
