- A Herriman man was arrested for allegedly threatening a mother and daughter in a road rage investigation.
- Nephi Alono, 54, pointed a gun and used racial slurs in Herriman, police say.
- Alono allegedly admitted to spitting but denied brandishing a gun.
HERRIMAN — A Herriman man was arrested Wednesday and accused of pointing a gun at a mother and her teenage daughter in a road rage investigation.
A mother and her 13-year-old daughter were walking "in the area of 14120 S. Greenford Lane. This was next to Ridge View Elementary in Herriman, just off the property," when the mother saw an Audi "driving close enough to her where she believed she was going to get hit. She yelled something at the male suspect, and he quickly turned his vehicle around and started to yell at her and spit on her face," according to a police booking affidavit.
"According to the victim, the male suspect used racial slurs and retrieved a black firearm, described as a pistol, under his seat. The suspect allegedly pointed a black pistol at her and her daughter and said, 'Do you want to get shot?'" the affidavit alleges.
At that point, the teen pulled out her phone and began recording the driver. The man drove off, and Herriman police were contacted. Officers reported tracing the car back to 54-year-old Nephi Alono.
"I was able to get the suspect on the phone and convinced him to come outside peacefully to speak with me. He was taken into custody without incident," the affidavit states.
Alono admitted that he was in an altercation and "even admitted to spitting toward the victim. He admitted to losing his cool, and he wished he would have chosen to be a peacemaker," according to the affidavit. However, he denied pulling out a gun.
"The suspect admitted to possessing a black .380 pistol that was in the glove box, but denied brandishing it," the affidavit says.
Alono was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated assault with potential road rage penalty enhancements.
