WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — No one was injured after an SUV crashed into a West Valley City church Sunday night following an altercation between a man and his ex-girlfriend.
Gabriel Manuel Gutierrez, 20, was arrested on multiple charges, including Driving Under the Influence and Property Damage.
According to court documents, the couple were arguing while driving in the SUV when Gutierrez allegedly threw his ex-girlfriend's phone out of the vehicle. Gutierrez claimed the woman then grabbed the steering wheel of the SUV, causing it to crash into the church at 3120 West 4700 South just before 7:30 p.m.
However, West Valley City police officers were unable to verify the sequence of events.
Video below shows damage to church following accident:
Gutierrez's ex-girlfriend said the two had been drinking, with the woman telling police that Gutierrez had drank "almost an entire bottle of Jim Beam to himself." Despite the ex-girlfriend telling officers that an empty bottle of Jim Beam could be found inside the SUV, no bottle was ever located.
The arresting officer wrote that she "observed numerous clues" that indicated that Gutierrez was impaired, leading to his arrest.
The accident caused an estimated $20,000 in damages to the building, but no one was believed to be seriously injured.
