MIDVALE, Utah — A 31-year-old woman is facing charges after Unified police arrested her for attempting to steal a car with a BB gun.
Kalo Pofaiva Fifita, 31, was arrested on Wednesday and faces charges of attempted aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, endangerment of a child or vulnerable adult, and escape.
According to court documents obtained by FOX 13 News, on Wednesday at 4:38 p.m., officers were called to the area of 8200 South State Street on reports of a person with a weapon. When they arrived, they found a woman, Fifita, being held down by two bystanders.
Witnesses told officers that Fifita had attempted to take an operable vehicle while holding a rifle that was later determined to be a BB gun. Two juveniles were also on site and were determined to be with Fifita during the incident.
Unified police spoke to the victims, who stated that they were working on a vehicle in the parking lot of the Fiuza Auto Center when they were approached by Fifita holding what appeared to be a rifle in her hand.
The victims told police that Fifita asked them for a ride, which they declined to give. A short time later, Fifita entered the work van the victims had arrived in. The vehicle was unlocked and had the keys in the ignition.
When the victims approached, Fifita allegedly stated, "I need this car," and attempted to drive away. The victims were able to force her out of the vehicle and hold her until police arrived. During the incident, Fifita allegedly attempted to reach for a pocket knife.
Police also spoke to the underage witnesses who were with Fifita at the time of the incident.
They recalled that morning Fifita had picked them up to allegedly run errands and get food. After leaving, Fifita allegedly attempted to buy a car from an unknown car lot, and after being denied, her demeanor changed.
After leaving the lot, Fifita allegedly drove the wrong way on I-215 going northbound in the southbound lanes. While on the freeway, Fifita allegedly made a U-turn to go with the flow of traffic.
The group then went to an unknown Sandy address where Fifita allegedly broke a window screen and entered an occupied apartment. Following a short conversation with the residents, Fifita allegedly grabbed the second juvenile and left.
Following this, the group arrived at UTA TRAX lines that were activating. The safety arms on the TRAX lines were allegedly down, and Fifita stopped her vehicle on the tracks.
A few hundred feet before being struck, Fifita would allegedly accelerate and leave the area.
It was at this point that the underage witnesses stated that Fifita went to the car lot and attempted to steal the van.
While in police custody, Fifita allegedly slipped a handcuff off and attempted to break the window on a patrol vehicle to escape. Police were able to successfully restrain her.
