A 37-year-old Salt Lake City man is facing two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of aggravated assault, and a weapons charge after police say he and an unidentified accomplice held a couple at gunpoint near their Midvale home, demanded their belongings, and pushed the woman to the ground when she refused to undress. Damion Williams was booked into Salt Lake County Jail and is being held without bail as the investigation continues.
According to ABC4 Utah, the victims were returning from a grocery store near their residence when a white sedan pulled up beside them near 8098 S. Wood Street. Williams and the unidentified male allegedly got out of the car, pointed firearms at the couple, and taunted them before demanding their cell phones, wallets, purse and backpack, per the police report cited by the outlet. The men reportedly threatened to shoot the victims if they did not comply.
Per the same account, Williams then asked the woman to undress. When she refused, he allegedly pushed her to the ground and threatened to shoot her boyfriend if she still would not comply. Williams is accused of taking the woman's purse and backpack before he and the second man ran toward a bar on State Street, where the report says Williams had earlier instructed the driver to head.
Victims Called 911, Suspect Identified and Located
The woman and her boyfriend called 911 and identified Williams as the suspect. Officers with the Unified Police Department later located and arrested him, and he was booked into jail on the new charges as well as outstanding fugitive warrants; he had previously been booked on fugitive warrants on September 5.
Midvale's policing is handled by the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake's Midvale Precinct, which operates out of 7912 South Main Street. It remains unclear whether the second man who fled toward State Street has been identified or apprehended.
A Long History With the Justice System
Williams's arrest is not his first brush with serious violent felony allegations in Salt Lake County. Back in January 2015, KSL reported that a then-25-year-old Williams was charged with first-degree aggravated kidnapping, first-degree aggravated robbery, and assaulting a peace officer after firing a gun near a Utah Highway Patrol trooper during a chase on I-215.
Utah State Prison records cited by KSL show Williams was previously sentenced in December 2009 to up to five years in prison for felony fleeing and wrongful appropriation. He was paroled in April 2011, sent back to prison in 2012 for a parole violation, and had that sentence terminated in October 2013.
What Williams Faces Now
Williams was on supervised felony probation as of September 5, according to the ABC4 report, a status that carries significant legal consequences given the new charges. Under Utah Code § 76-10-503, an individual on active felony probation or previously convicted of a violent felony is classified as a Category I restricted person, making firearm possession a second-degree felony punishable by one to 15 years in prison, according to Justia Law.
Williams is being held without bail. Separately, Utah Code § 64-13-29 allows the Utah Department of Corrections to issue a 72-hour hold and recommend probation revocation whenever there is probable cause that a probationer has committed a violent felony, according to Justia Law.
Aggravated robbery and aggravated assault are both classified as first-degree felonies in this case. Under Utah Code § 76-3-203, a first-degree felony conviction carries an indeterminate prison sentence of five years to life and fines of up to $10,000, according to Utah State Courts.
