Bluffdale man faces first-degree felony in random Halloween party assault

RIVERTON — A Bluffdale man who police say beat up a 17-year-old boy at random with the help of at least two others is now facing a serious criminal charge.

Jairus Lee Parker, 19, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault, a first-degree felony, because of a gang enhancement penalty added by prosecutors.

On Oct. 27, Bluffdale police responded to the area of 14500 South and 2200 West to assist medical crews on a possible assault. They arrived to find a large number of teens attending a party, including a 17-year-old boy who "had blood running down his face and appeared to be in shock," according to charging documents.

Witnesses told police they believed the teen had been beaten unconscious. Police observed cuts and bruises "all over his face and hairline," the charges state.

In November, police were able to interview the victim again. He said on that night, he and his friends were outside a Halloween party putting on makeup when two cars sped past them. The cars stopped and the teen and his friends heard there was going to be a fight, so they walked over to the parked cars to see what was happening, according to the charges.

The occupants in the vehicles got out to confront others standing outside, "and then (the teen) heard someone from the vehicle group state, 'I will take your life,' and lifted their shirt showing handguns in their waistband. (The teen) stated others in the group were holding guns and pointing them, and people began running away from the vehicle group," the charges state.

As other partygoers ran off, the teen told police he stepped off to the side in an attempt to remove himself from the situation. That's when the teen says he heard someone from the car group say, "Yo, get 'em." The teen was surrounded by people wearing ski masks and was repeatedly punched in the face and head and other parts of his body, the charges say.

After the incident, the teen said he posted a picture of his bloody face on TikTok. That's when someone with the username "trickydancemoves" posted the comment, "His whole friend group left him," and another with the username "Ma thugs" posted a laughing emoji, according to the charges.

Police said they later identified "Ma thugs" as Parker. Two others were identified as 16-year-old boys.

Detectives questioned one of those 16-year-olds, who told police he was driving with Parker and others when they spotted two people in the road. The boy claimed they didn't "know anyone or have beef with anyone at the party." But when the people wouldn't get out of the road, they stopped their cars to confront them, according to the charges.

The boy said he and his friends charged the group of party attendees, and then chose to attack the 17-year-old victim "because they just grabbed somebody after the other group ran away." The boy claimed he is not a gang member but hangs out with friends who are. He also told police "he felt bad and wanted to tell (the victim) he was sorry and would write an apology letter to him," the court documents say.

The documents do not indicate whether any of the teens questioned by police have also been charged.

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