Eagle Mountain domestic violence suspect arrested after 3 day search
Oct 17, 2023, 6:48 PM | Updated: 6:48 pm
Officials say they're searching for an Eagle Mountain man, Gio Cruz, after his girlfriend made an emergency call saying he choked and threatened to kill her. (Utah County Sheriff's Office)
(Utah County Sheriff's Office)
EAGLE MOUNTAIN — After fleeing from police and evading arrest for three days, a man accused of choking out his partner* is in police custody.
Yosvany-Armando Cruz-Lopez, 44, of Eagle Mountain, was booked into the Utah County Jail on a felony charge of aggravated assault resulting in the loss of consciousness with a plenty enhancement for domestic violence, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
On Tuesday night, Cruz-Lopez went to the Eagle Mountain office of the Utah County Sheriff’s Office to talk to deputies.
“A UCSO sergeant had a phone conversation with Cruz-Lopez earlier, and Cruz-Lopes agreed to come talk to him,” according to the sheriff’s office.
Cruz-Lopez was arrested and booked into the Utah County Jail without further incident. A judge ruled that Cruz-Lopez would be held in jail without bail.
He was also booked with misdemeanor charges of electronic communication harassment and domestic violence in the presence of a child.
The assault
On Saturday, UCSO responded to a domestic violence incident where Cruz-Lopez’s female partner* called the police, claiming that the two got into an argument that resulted in bodily injury.
She told police that Cruz-Lopez grabbed a computer cord the night before and choked her out of conciseness, leaving several bruises and cuts on her neck, according to police reports.
During this incident, a two-year-old child witnessed the alleged assault.
The victim said that Cruz-Lopez called her on Saturday night, threatening to “finish the argument with his wife and other family members,” according to police reports.
Police say Cruz-Lopez left the state as he is a long haul truck driver and would not return to Utah until Tuesday.
*Author’s Note: Separate police reports call the victim “girlfriend” and “estranged spouse.” In an attempt to not assume the relationship between the suspect and the victim, we are using the word “partner” until clarification.
If you or someone you know is going through abuse, help is available.
- The Utah Domestic Violence Coalition operates a confidential statewide, 24-hour domestic abuse hotline at 1-800-897-LINK (5465).
- Resources are also available online at the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition website.
- YWCA Women in Jeopardy program: 801-537-8600
- Utah’s statewide child abuse and neglect hotline: 1-855-323-DCFS (3237)
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
