A man accused of firing a weapon in front of Zax Restaurant this week was arrested for aggravated assault and other weapons-related offenses.
Patrick Trujillo, who turned 32 years old on Thursday, Aug. 3, was subdued after he allegedly fired a single round from a gun as authorities responded to the scene on Tuesday, Aug. 1. According to a report from the Moab City Police Department, the responding officers placed their hands on the gun’s firing mechanism to prevent Trujillo from discharging it again.
The Moab City Police Department and the Grand County Sheriff’s Office first responded to the area after the police department received a call at about 10:15 p.m. that a man with a gun had fired at least one shot on Main Street.
Witnesses indicated that a male who matched the description had since entered Club Rio on 100 West. Patrons at the Rio’s bar reported that Trujillo had been brandishing his weapon and was threatening people.
When officers approached him, Trujillo allegedly pulled the firearm from his waistband, and as officers subdued him, he fired a single round, according to the report. At that point, the officers placed their hands on the firing mechanism.
“The heroic efforts of this multi-jurisdictional response undoubtedly prevented the loss of life of the responding officers, patrons of the restaurant and the suspect,” Moab City Police Chief Jim Winder said in a statement.
Eventually, members of the police department, sheriff’s office and Utah Highway Patrol took Trujillo into custody. He was booked into the Emery County Jail, where local inmates are being held while Grand County’s jail is being renovated.
Under the law, he is presumed to be innocent unless or until a court formally convicts him of any charges.
