A Tooele man is in police custody in California after a four-month investigation by the Utah Department of Public Safety and the United States Marshals Service.
Saul Martinez, 33, was apprehended by deputy U.S. marshals near Los Angeles on charges of attempted murder, felony discharge of a firearm, possession of a dangerous weapon and aggravated assault, according to a state DPS release.
Martinez allegedly shot at an off-duty Salt Lake City Airport police officer that had stopped on the shoulder of SR-201 near 8500 West to assist a motorist with a disabled vehicle on July 8. After the motorist and the officer were heading back to their respective vehicles, Martinez fired multiple rounds at both of them, but missed.
After the shooting, Martinez fled the scene and a manhunt for the fugitive commenced, according to the DPS statement. The case was turned over to the U.S. Marshals Service’s Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team shortly thereafter.
With Martinez on the run for several months, the deputy U.S. Marshals and State Bureau of Investigation officers tracked him to the Los Angeles area. After hours of surveillance and investigative leads, he was arrested on Nov. 9 on Maple Avenue in Los Angeles.
Martinez was still being held in Los Angeles awaiting his extradition hearing per the DPS report posted on Tuesday.