Man accused of falsely reporting shooting faces real charge

WEST VALLEY CITY — A West Valley man who police say falsely reported a shooting just to get officers to respond faster is now facing a felony charge.

The 22-year-old man was charged Tuesday in 3rd District Court with emergency reporting abuse, a second-degree felony.

On July 30, a man called 911 reporting there had been a shooting at a fast food restaurant near 3500 West and 3500 South, according to charging documents. The man made statements to dispatchers such as "I need you guys here … now" and "someone is going to shoot me."

When officers arrived, however, the man "approached officers and stated, 'I just came out, and my car is gone.' (He) provided details for his car, and officers found that it had been impounded for no insurance," the charges state.

The man further stated that he called 911 and reported a shooting "because he knows how long it takes for non-priority calls" and "just to get a faster police response because he did not have time to wait," investigators stated in a police booking affidavit and charging documents.

A person convicted of a second-degree felony in Utah can be sentenced to one to 15 years in the Utah State Prison and be fined up to $10,000.

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