Man involved in crash gives other driver ride home, then pulls gun on him, police say

West Valley police have arrested a man who they say gave a man a ride home after being in an accident with him, and then pulled out a gun and demanded money.

West Valley police have arrested a man who they say gave a man a ride home after being in an accident with him, and then pulled out a gun and demanded money. (Steve Griffin, Deseret News)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — A man was arrested Thursday after police say he gave another man a ride home after the two were involved in a traffic accident, then pulled a gun on him and robbed the man once he got to his home.

Julio Cesar Galeana Beltran, 24, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of aggravated robbery, aggravated assault, making a threat of violence and extortion.

On Thursday, a man contacted the police, stating that Galeana had given him a ride home after the two were involved in a crash.

"I was advised that the male had decided to take a payment from the victim instead of completing a police report and that the victim had paid the male $250," an officer wrote in a police booking affidavit. "I was advised that the victim had intended to pay $500, but the application did not allow him to pay another $250."

When told that the Venmo app wouldn't allow him to make a second payment of $250, Galeana "proceeded to reach into a black shoulder bag and pulled a black semi-automatic handgun with a red dot on it," according to the affidavit.

Galeana allegedly pointed the gun at the victim.

"The victim stated that (Galeana) told him that not only would he suffer, but that his family would also suffer. The victim reported that the male then told him that he needed to pay an extra $500 the next day due to possible hospital bills and the vehicle repairs," the affidavit alleges.

Galeana then dropped off the man at his home.

Using the payment information from Venmo and the car's license plate number, police identified Galeana as the suspect. Officers found him at his home in West Valley and arrested him.

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Pat Reavy, KSLPat Reavy
Pat Reavy interned with KSL in 1989 and has been a full-time journalist for either KSL or Deseret News since 1991. For the past 25 years, he has worked primarily the cops and courts beat.

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