WEST VALLEY CITY — A man accused of hitting and killing a woman while fleeing from police near the Valley Fair Mall has now been linked to additional crimes around the valley, including a road rage shooting in Sandy.

Cesar Omar Perez, 23, of Lehi, was charged Friday in 3rd District Court in three separate cases, including the fatal crash on Oct. 2 and two other incidents in which shots were fired.

In total, Perez was charged Friday with 18 crimes — including murder and aggravated robbery, first-degree felonies; two counts of assault on an officer, a second-degree felony; business burglary, property damage and seven counts of illegally firing a gun, third-degree felonies; three counts of failing to respond to an officer's signal to stop, two third-degree felonies and a class A misdemeanor; and marijuana possession and causing an accident involving property damage, class B misdemeanors.

On Oct. 2, West Valley police were patrolling Fairbourne Park, 3590 S. Market Street, which is next to West Valley City Hall and the West Valley Police Department, when officers spotted Perez smoking marijuana, according to charging documents. Perez, whom police say seemed "very anxious," took off running across the parking lot.

"Officers were informed that Perez had run to a nearby road where electrical work was being completed and stole a work truck belonging to Wasatch Electric Company," the charges state.

One worker suffered minor injuries when he fell from the moving vehicle while trying to stop Perez.

Perez fled across the street to the area of Valley Fair Mall, 3601 S. 2700 West, but not before he first "hit a Ford F-250 belonging to the Salt Lake Community College" with two people inside, the charges state. Both occupants suffered minor injuries.

Officers spotted the stolen work truck again near the south end of the mall near Costco, 3747 S. 2700 West.

"As officers drove closer, Perez put the truck into reverse heading straight toward officers. Perez proceeded to ram the front driver side of (an officer's) marked patrol vehicle with the rear end of the truck, pushing his vehicle sideways," according to the charges.

Related:

Man accused of hitting woman while fleeing from police arrested for investigation of murder

A woman was killed Wednesday when a police pursuit with a car that was reported to be stolen ended in a head-on crash on a one-way street near the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City.

Police say Perez then rammed a second officer's vehicle and drove off, driving on sidewalks and over grass to get away.

Perez is then accused of driving the wrong way on 2400 West, which is a narrow one-way street between the east side of the mall and I-215. Two other vehicles swerved to miss Perez, but a car driven by 52-year-old Nancy Arbon collided with Perez head-on as Perez was driving between 63 mph and 72 mph, the charging documents allege.

"Arbon's vehicle came to rest 100 feet from the point of impact, while Perez rolled the truck," the charges say.

After Perez was in custody, detectives doing further investigation linked him to a road rage incident in Sandy on Sept. 9. On that day, a motorcyclist fired a shot into a car near 9400 South and 1300 East. The driver was not injured.

On Oct. 1 — the day before the fatal crash — Sandy police put out a surveillance photo of the suspected gunman on social media in hopes of identifying him. They received a call that day from Lehi police who had previously dealt with Perez and were able to help positively identify him, according to charging documents.

Also on Oct. 1, police say employees at the Audi Salt Lake City, 999 S. State, arrived at work and "found five bullet casings and a shattered glass door to the rear entrance of the business," a third set of charging documents state.

Surveillance video captured the shooting and also showed the gunman "inside the building attempting to gain access to a cabinet by shooting the lock, damaging the lock mechanism, and leaving a slug embedded inside," the charges state. "The male then proceeds to kick the desk area around the cabinet before moving around the building looking around another desk area."

After his arrest in West Valley City, detectives asked him if he was involved in the shooting at the Audi dealership.

"Perez immediately nodded his head up and down and said he had shot the back window out in an attempt to get a car there, so he didn't have to deal with anyone," the charges allege. "Perez stated that after he shot out the window and went inside, he was unable to locate any of the car keys, so he placed the firearm back in his backpack and left. Perez admitted he had used the same gun in the Sandy shooting."

Prosecutors have requested that Perez remain in the Salt Lake County Jail without having the option to post bail pending trial.

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