- A 19-year-old West Jordan man was charged Friday with assaulting a police officer.
- Hugo Fernando Mora Ayala was shot after allegedly trying to flee police during a drug investigation on Aug. 6.
- He claimed he couldn't hear police commands and denied hitting an officer.
WEST JORDAN — Criminal charges were filed Friday against a West Jordan man who was shot by police during a drug investigation last week
Hugo Fernando Mora Ayala, 19, is charged in 3rd District Court with assault on a police officer and drug possession with intent to distribute, second-degree felonies; and failing to stop for police, a third-degree felony.
On Aug. 6, the Utah County Major Crimes Task Force was serving a search warrant in West Jordan.
"Detectives had a suspect and a vehicle under investigation for drug-related activities. (A deputy) stated that the plan was to wait for the suspect to leave his residence and then conduct a vehicle stop to apprehend him," according to charging documents.
After Mora left his home, deputies "followed closely behind and made a plan to stop the vehicle by boxing it in. When the stop was made, several officers converged on the suspect's vehicle, and it was announced, 'Police, show us your hands,'" the charges state.
Instead, Mora allegedly attempted to escape by putting his Honda Accord in reverse and hitting a deputy's car. He then drove forward and hit a police sergeant who then fired "several rounds toward the vehicle while being hit" and was seen by other officers "rolling across the hood of the suspect's vehicle and onto the ground," according to the charges.
The sergeant "sustained road rash to his head, elbow and leg" and "also complained of a headache immediately after the incident," the court documents say.
Mora continued to flee on 7800 South but stopped a short time later. The Honda's windshield could be seen in a parking lot near 7800 S. Redwood Road with five bullet holes in it. It was wedged between two police vehicles.
Mora was taken to a local hospital where he was placed under arrest. He has since been moved to the Salt Lake County Jail. When questioned, he claimed he could not hear that the police were yelling at him and tried to drive away, but denied hitting an officer, the charges state.
Officers reported finding drugs in Mora's clothing as he was being treated for his injuries.
