Robbery attempt ends in smoke, crash, arrest

KEARNS — A man who unsuccessfully tried to rob a Salt Lake County club Sunday night was arrested after trying to make a smokin' getaway, police said.

A man pulled up to Los Coyotes, near 5400 South and 4000 West, about 8:15 p.m. Sunday and stepped out of his car with a shotgun, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.

The manager saw the man coming, grabbed the day's earnings and ran out the back, Hutson said. When the gunman entered, everyone was gone, and he left empty-handed. Others, however, had already called 911.

A deputy spotted the vehicle in a nearby residential area and noticed a lot of smoke coming from the hood, Hutson said. A second deputy spotted the vehicle a short time later and also noted the car appeared to be overheating.

The fleeing man tried to hide behind Kmart, 3835 W. 5400 South, by driving behind the building and turning off his headlights, Hutson said. Instead, as deputies and officers from the Taylorsville Police Department approached, the man crashed through a chain-link fence near Albertsons, 3861 W. 5400 South, onto a dirt embankment.

When his car came to a stop, the man tried to escape by going out the passenger-side door, but he was quickly arrested, Hutson said.

Investigators discovered the man's car was stolen in a carjacking in Salt Lake City on Saturday.

Alfonso Lopez, 26, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated robbery and a prior felony warrant for theft.

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