CRIME
Suspect in SLC aggravated burglary booked for multiple felonies
SALT LAKE CITY — The suspect in Saturday’s aggravated burglary requiring SWAT response was booked for multiple felonies, according to arresting documents.
Vaioleti Fonakimoana Mafi, 31, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on Saturday for:
- three felony charges of aggravated assault,
- one felony charge of aggravated burglary,
- one felony charge of domestic violence in the presence of a child with a weapon resulting in injury,
- one felony charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person,
- one felony charge of discharge of a firearm,
- and a misdemeanor charge of possession or use of a controlled substance.
According to arrest documents, Salt Lake City Police responded to shots fired call at an apartment complex involving two units near Dexter Street 500 North at approximately 3:24 a.m.
When officers arrived, they found three victims, a man, a woman, and their seven-month-old child, at the apartment complex.
According to arrest documents, the victim’s apartment front door was forced open at approximately 3 a.m. The man went to the door while the woman went to the child.
“The female heard a hit and described it like a punch sound,” states arrest documents. “She went to the door and her boyfriend told her to go back to the room, which she did.”
The woman heard a gunshot, became frightened, and called the police.
The SLCPD officers saw the apartment’s front door kicked in and blood on the couch in the entryway, according to arrest documents.
“There was a bullet hole through both panels of glass in the front room. A spent casing was located outside the window,” state arrest documents.
Officers noticed a trail of blood leading to another apartment unit. They attempted to contact the unit’s occupants, but they wouldn’t cooperate.
Police were able to get a warrant, and Mafi surrendered to police, according to arrest documents. SWAT entered and cleared the apartment unit.
Our SWAT Team has finished searching for a suspect as part of an aggravated burglary and domestic violence investigation.
A press release will be available once information is confirmed.
All road closures have been lifted. #SLC #SLCPD #SaltLakeCity pic.twitter.com/1ksSz284Kh
— Salt Lake City Police (@slcpd) October 15, 2022
According to arrest documents, police searched Mafi’s apartment and found a pistol hidden in a closet, matching the spent casing outside the victim’s home. Police also found a loaded magazine in the closet matching the appearance of the spent casing.
“There was a large amount of blood that was throughout the apartment, to include in the bathroom, on the floor, on a towel hanging behind the bedroom door, and on clothing,” state arrest documents.
A bag of marijuana buds was found in a bedroom of Mafi’s apartment, according to police.
Crime lab teams found a bullet fragment in the apartment that resembled the rounds that were found by police.
Police attempted to interview Mafi at the police station under Miranda, but he refused to talk, according to arrest documents.
“(Mafi) had what appeared to be a broken nose, and swelling around his forehead and bruising starting to settle under his eye,” according to arrest documents. “He said he wished he could tell me things but said he couldn’t.”
Mafi agreed to a buccal swab, according to police. He was sent to jail and booked for the charges.
Mafi and the male victim are related, but the victim was not ready to be interviewed by police.
On Saturday morning, SLCPD believed there was a second suspect that fled from police. On Tuesday, they confirmed that there was no second suspect.
