Man who drove into police car is given second chance through recovery court

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Steven Lopez, 35, gets a second chance through recovery court after pleading guilty to stealing a car and aggravated assault.
Police said he rammed the car into an officers' car, the officer fired at Lopez but was later found justified.
If successful, Lopez's charges will be dismissed and expunged after a three-year probation and 15-months in recovery court.

SALT LAKE CITY — A man who was shot at by police after they reported he rammed a stolen van into a police car was given a second chance through recovery court.

Steven Lopez, 35, pleaded guilty to theft of a car, a second-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a third-degree felony, on Sept. 15 as part of a plea in abeyance.

If he successfully completes a three-year probation and at least 15 months in recovery court he will be eligible to have the other charges dismissed and expunged from his record. As part of his plea deal, prosecutors also dismissed a third charge for failure to comply with duties at a vehicle accident, a class B misdemeanor.

On Nov. 19, 2025, Lopez was asked to leave a temporary homeless shelter in West Valley City due to "erratic behavior" and he walked to an auto shop at 2851 S. Redwood Road where he stole a van, according to Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill.

A police booking affidavit claims Lopez drove back to the shelter where he saw two officers in uniform sitting in unmarked vehicles in the parking lot and rammed into an officer's vehicle before fleeing the scene.

Gill said the officers noticed Lopez's "odd behavior" and one officer, Greg Celentano, opened his door, got out of the car and fired three shots at Lopez, who put the van in reverse and moved toward other cars in the parking lot.

The second officer, Robert Brinton, chased after Lopez, who later drove back to the shelter parking lot and surrendered to officers. Gill said Lopez was not hit by any of the shots.

Lopez told investigators he was "juiced up" and thought the officer had multiple faces. He agreed to pay $9,455 back to West Valley City and Utah Risk Management Agency.

While in recovery court, Lopez will be required to have no new criminal offenses and not tamper with any drug tests. As part of being admitted to recovery court, he is required to admit that he has a drug problem.

In February, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said his office declined to file criminal charges against detective Greg Celentano in the shooting, as it determined a jury would likely find the shooting justified "to prevent continued or further threats of deadly force by Mr. Lopez."

He said at that time the office's full findings would be released after public discussion of the incident, and that it would not impact Lopez's criminal case.

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