- Ramon Rojas-Huerta, 45, was sentenced to between two and 30 years in prison after admitting to firing at officers.
- He survived critical injuries sustained during a June 29, 2025, shootout with police on I-80 where he was hit nine times.
- Many of Rojas-Huerta's charges were dismissed due to a plea deal.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man who survived a shootout with police said he is ready to move forward with his life, as he was sentenced to between two and 30 years in prison.
Ramon Rojas-Huerta, 45, of West Valley City, was sentenced by 3rd District Judge Adam Mow to two consecutive terms of one to 15 years in prison for two counts of assault on a police officer, a second-degree felony. He received credit for time already served on a conviction for driving under the influence, a class A misdemeanor.
His attorney Hanna Sakalla said he was hit nine times during the altercation and "views this as a second chance at life." She said while incarcerated, Rojas-Huerta has found religion and he will embrace "what the prison can offer him" during his sentence.
She expressed that she was shocked by his initial long list of charges, and then shocked again to learn, during her interaction with him, that he is an "incredibly gentle person."
Rojas-Huerta was initially charged with five counts of assault on an officer, a second-degree felony; causing property damage/destruction, two counts of aggravated assault, 12 counts of illegal shooting of a gun, failing to stop for an officer and unlawful control of a vehicle to commit a felony crime, all third-degree felonies; DUI, a class A misdemeanor; and causing property damage and reckless driving, class B misdemeanors. Most of those charges were dismissed as part of a plea deal.
Deputy Salt Lake County attorney Jerod Wilson said Rojas-Huerta got into a fight with tow truck drivers in a parking lot who were trying to tow his vehicle, and that altercation led to a shooting with the tow truck driver, a chase down the highway, multiple crashes and shots being fired back and forth between him and police. He said at least seven shell casings were found that had come from shots fired by Rojas-Huerta.
The shooting occurred on June 29, 2025. The altercation with the tow-truck driver began near Redwood Road and North Temple, and Rojas-Huerta tried to flee on I-80. Charges said officers attempted to stop him with a PIT maneuver multiple times before he came to a stop. Two Salt Lake police vehicles were hit with gunfire, and Rojas-Huerta was critically injured.
Sakalla said he had a mental health crisis and that during the chaos, he started to accept that he might die and that he wanted to. She said he had a hard life and that he thought the police were members of the cartel, and that he had encountered cartel members posing as police previously.
