- Beyker Villegas, 22, was charged Thursday with aggravated robbery and kidnapping in Murray.
- Villegas was shot by a jewelry store manager during an attempted robbery on Nov. 25.
- Police are still trying to identify a second suspect in the robbery.
MURRAY — Criminal charges were filed Thursday against an Oregon man who police say attempted to rob a jewelry store in Murray and ended up being shot by a store manager.
Beyker Villegas, 22, of Redmond, Oregon, is charged in 3rd District Court with two counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of aggravated kidnapping, first-degree felonies.
On Nov. 25, two men walked into Sierra-West Jewelers, 6190 S. State. One man "was wearing a long black wig, and the other had a scruffy brown wig, fake mustache and beard," according to charging documents. Both were wearing dark jackets and matching black and red plaid pants.
As the assistant manager asked if he could help, Villegas "pulled a gun," the charges state. The manager attempted to press the silent alarm, but Villegas pulled him to the middle of the floor.
"(The assistant manager) was unable to understand the suspects because they were yelling in Spanish. Villegas kicked him in the leg and gestured to the ground," according to the charging documents.
As the men attempted to duct tape a woman also working at the store, the assistant manager grabbed his concealed firearm and fired a round into the ground. That prompted both Villegas and his partner to try and get the gun away from him, the charges say.
"(The assistant manager) shot another round toward Villegas. As the suspects ran outside, (he) hit Villegas in the head several times with his firearm. (The assistant manager) attempted to stop the suspects from leaving, but they were able to get in their vehicle and dragged (him) with the car as they backed up," according to the charges.
Not long after the men drove away, a man with a gunshot wound to his abdomen was dropped off at an urgent care center in Sandy. Employees at the clinic called the police. Villegas was transferred to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray for further treatment. He was released over the weekend and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail.
Prosecutors say police are still working to identify the second man in the robbery who was able to get away.
Villegas has family in Oregon, but prosecutors say he "is also a citizen of Venezuela. He currently has a federal detainer, and if not held, he could be deported or transferred to other custodial facilities." They are requesting that he be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.
