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SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake police have arrested a man who allegedly broke into a house at random and claimed he was checking it out for possible gang activity in the future.
Jose Garcia, 18, was arrested Wednesday morning for investigation of aggravated burglary, using a concealed weapon while committing a violent felony and failing to disclose his identity to police.
Wednesday morning, Garcia walked into the kitchen of a Salt Lake City home, pulled a gun from his waistband after making contact with the homeowner and claimed he had been in the basement for an hour, according to a police booking affidavit.
Garcia said he entered the residence "in the middle of the night while the victim's family was sleeping," through a basement window which leads into the homeowner's daughter's room, the affidavit states.
He told the homeowner "that he had been scouting houses for (his gang) for future gang initiations," according to the affidavit.
The homeowner told police he does not know Garcia.
Additional information about whether Garcia was still in the house when police arrived or how officers tracked him down and arrested him were not immediately available. No injuries were reported. Salt Lake police said Wednesday that detectives were still gathering information and evidence about the case and didn't know if Garcia's claim of finding a home for gang initiations was legitimate.
