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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man who has been wanted by police for nearly two years was arrested Wednesday after police say they spotted him jaywalking.
But not before the man attempted to get away by trying to carjack a vehicle at a fast food restaurant, according to police.
Jose Silvestre Vargas, 33, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday and charged Friday in 3rd District Court with aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; interfering with an arrest, and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors; and jaywalking, an infraction.
West Valley police spotted Vargas illegally crossing the road near 5400 West and 3500 South on Wednesday. They stopped Vargas to question him and he admitted to having warrants out for his arrest, according to a police booking affidavit.
Officers confirmed that Vargas had at least four active warrants dating back to January of 2022 for burglary, theft, weapons- and drug-related crimes he allegedly committed dating back to 2021, according to court records.
But as an officer attempted to place handcuffs on Vargas, he pulled away and ran.
Police say Vargas ran to a nearby McDonald's parking lot, where he approached a Jeep waiting in the drive-thru line.
"(Vargas) opened the driver side door of the Jeep and tried to pull the driver out, so he could get inside of the vehicle. The driver later told me that (Vargas) told him to get out while grabbing his left arm and tried pulling him out of the vehicle," according to the affidavit.
But Vargas was unable to get the driver out and two officers caught up with him and pulled him to the ground, the arrest report states. He continued to resist arrest but was eventually placed in handcuffs. Police reported finding drug paraphernalia in his pockets.
Because of his warrants, police have requested that Vargas be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail.
"The warrants have been outstanding for almost two years and (Vargas) has been avoiding apprehension as documented in previous reports. Today, (he) claimed he swallowed 'something,' leading to a lengthy hospital visit. (He) had claimed this in a previous arrest over a year ago for the same warrants, which led to his release to a hospital, without a jail booking," officers wrote in the affidavit.
