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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City police were searching Friday for a man who sparked an hours-long standoff at a motel and forced the partial closure of several city streets for most of Thursday night.
The incident began about 8:15 p.m. when police received information that John Fraire, 48, allegedly pointed a gun at two people outside the Main Street Motel, 1530 S. Main. He then went inside one of the rooms at the motel with the gun, witnesses told police.
Salt Lake City officers were called and arrived at the motel at 8:20 p.m. Based on the information they had, police started to surround the motel and "out of an abundance of caution," began evacuating several rooms, police said a prepared statement.
Just after 10 p.m., two people exited the room that Fraire was seen going into. It was not immediately known what those two people told police. But, "based on witness statements, officers had reasonable suspicion to believe Fraire remained inside the motel room armed with the firearm," police stated.
A SWAT team and a crisis negotiator were called to the scene.
Just before 11:30 p.m., the SWAT team breached the motel room door and attempted to communicate with Fraire. But 30 minutes later, officers determined the room was empty. A gun was found in the room, according to police. Investigators believe Fraire left the room before officers were able to set up a full containment around the motel. All streets around the motel were reopened by 12:50 a.m. Friday.
Fraire was convicted of fleeing from police in 2020. He was ordered to serve six months in jail and placed on three years probation, according to court records. Although Fraire has lived in Utah in the past, charging documents from 2020 state he was a documented gang member living in Las Vegas.
According to a violation report filed by Adult Probation and Parole in June of 2021, "Mr. Fraire was arrested by the U.S. Marshals on May 25, 2021, on active warrants and booked into Salt Lake County Jail. He was released (the next day) on an overcrowding release." But he failed to check in with his probation officer after being released.
A warrant was issued for Fraire's arrest on May 28, 2021, for failing to comply with the conditions of his probation and was still outstanding Thursday night, according to court documents. The violation report noted that Fraire had unsuccessfully attempted drug rehab, and that he "has a problem with authority, and has a problem with (a) therapist telling him what his issues are."
A warrant was also issued for his arrest in June of 2021 for failing to comply with the conditions of his probation on a separate conviction of attempted theft by receiving stolen property and drug possession from a 2018 case, court records state.
In 2011, he was sentenced to up to five years at the Utah State Prison for drug possession with intent to distribute.
