- Nicholas Maez, 19, admitted to assaulting a rival gang member in a school parking lot.
- The judge suspended his sentence of zero to five years for aggravated assault, instead ordering his release from jail and three years of probation.
SALT LAKE CITY — A Taylorsville man was released from custody after admitting to repeatedly punching and kicking another person in a school parking lot, causing serious injuries.
Nicholas Maez, 19, was arrested after he and two 17-year-old boys got out of a car with ski masks and ran towards a 14-year-old boy in the parking lot of Horizonte Instruction and Training Center, 1234 S. Main. The younger boy reported that he had cash in his pocket that was falling out, and the individuals told him, "Give me your money," as they continued to hit him, charging documents said.
The 14-year-old boy was a gang member, and Maez and his companions were members of a rival gang, according to charges.
When the three individuals got into their car to leave, a friend of the victim drove his truck into their passenger vehicle, the charges said. Police found them nearby, and the 14-year-old boy was found inside the school.
Maez was sentenced on May 27 to up to five years in prison for aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, but that prison term was suspended by 3rd District Court Judge Amanda Montague. The judge gave Maez credit for the 182 days he has served in jail since his arrest, and ordered him to be on probation for 36 months.
She issued an order releasing him from the Salt Lake County Jail.
During probation, he was ordered not to use alcohol or drugs and to have no contact with gang members or any others involved in the incident.
Maez pleaded guilty to the charge on March 30 under a plea deal that reduced his charges — he was initially charged with robbery, a first-degree felony and rioting, a second-degree felony. He also agreed, as part of the plea deal, to forfeit $220 of the money seized from him at the time of his arrest as restitution to the victim.
