Man who attacked officer while trying to escape custody given prison time

SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah man who pleaded guilty to attacking a probation officer while trying to escape custody was sentenced to zero to five years in prison.

Sergio Lopez Ramirez, 43, was charged in 3rd District Court in February with aggravated assault targeting law enforcement, a first-degree felony; attempted aggravated escape, a second-degree felony; and causing property damage, a third-degree felony.

The charges stem from an incident in June last year when two Adult Probation and Parole agents were transporting Lopez to the Salt Lake County Jail. The outside gates were malfunctioning and while the agents got out of their car to help jail staff, Lopez "slipped his handcuffs to the front of his body, and he began hitting and kicking the back window in an attempt to escape," according to charging documents. Lopez then allegedly used the light bar to break the back window.

One agent was hit in the face and in the eye by shards of glass and "suffered a cut on his right cornea," the charges state.

On Aug. 14, Lopez pleaded guilty to reduced charges of assault by prisoner and property damage, both third-degree felonies. As part of his plea deal, the aggravated escape charge was dismissed and prosecutors agreed to recommend his sentence be served concurrently to his current commitment.

He was subsequently sentenced to zero to five years in prison for each charge, to be served concurrently to each other and to "anything else the defendant may be serving," court documents said. He was also given credit for the 415 days he has already served.

Lopez has a history of criminal convictions for drug possession and assaults, according to court records.

He made headlines for a similar incident in 2015 when West Valley police found him on the top of a strip mall at 3974 W. 4100 South. While attempting to take him into custody, Lopez caused one officer to fall 10 feet off the roof. The officer suffered minor injuries.

Lopez was convicted in that case of attempting to make a terroristic threat by claiming he had a grenade in his hand and of assault on an officer. In 2020, he was sentenced to zero to five years for various assault charges from a domestic violence incident.

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