2 suspected gang members arrested in connection to Mount Olympus trailhead murder, 2 still at large

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Two young men were arrested Monday in connection to a shooting at the Mount Olympus trailhead that killed 18-year-old Naod Welday on Aug. 3, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

According to court documents, there were four attackers at the scene. The sheriff’s office confirmed investigators are still looking for two people who were involved.

A terrifying attack

The sheriff’s office obtained search warrants for two houses Monday, which Sheriff Rosie Rivera said led to the arrests of a 15-year-old teen, whose name is not being released, and 20-year-old Mateo Martinez. Both are documented gang members, Rivera said. The victims, however, were not.

New details of the day of the shooting were revealed in court documents: there were two other victims at the scene, both young men and friends of Welday’s. The three of them sat in a car in a dark parking lot at the Mount Olympus trailhead just before 4:30 a.m.

“They were just probably in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Rivera said.

At some point, for an unknown reason, the four attackers approached the car and began banging on the windows. Before the car was breached, Welday, who was in the driver’s seat, made a 911 phone call. Court documents state the attackers could be heard in the background of the call hitting the windows and demanding entry.

“These suspects forced their way into the locked car by breaking windows and opening the door from the inside,” documents state.

The rest of the assault and shooting was captured on the 911 call. Documents state there were three or four shots fired that could be heard on the recording, and multiple rounds hit Welday.

By the time officers arrived, Welday was still alive but suffering. One other victim at the scene had a head wound and had been assaulted with a hammer.The third victim had been punched by the attackers. Welday died soon after at the scene.

Case continued

Investigators gathered fingerprint evidence linking Martinez and the teen to the scene. A baseball cap was also left at the scene near the driver’s side car door, which provided further evidence linking Martinez to the scene.

Two SWAT teams executed the search warrants and arrests at two homes, taking both suspects into custody. Rivera said the arrests were made without further incident.

“The reason for the SWAT teams was because these are violent individuals, they belong to a violent gang — a gang known here in Salt Lake City and our metro gang unit has been working and investigating gang crimes with this same gang for some time,” she said.

Rivera said justice is now her focus in this case, and keeping the community safe.

“It’s tough when you know these individuals were doing nothing other than they were in a parking lot …” she said. “You can just imagine how horrifying that is for them and their families, knowing what they went through at the time. We take these kind of cases very seriously.”

When asked if crime activity is increasing in the state, Rivera had more specific notes to give on the matter.

“Well it just varies, it is increasing when it comes to gang violence, drugs and money,” she said. “What is increasing more than anything is the amount of juveniles who are being recruited into these gangs.”

Rivera urged parents to be aware of the dangers of gang violence and to help law enforcement keep them safe by educating their children.

According to court documents, Martinez was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on charges of murder, a first-degree felony; aggravated assault, a third-degree felony; aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony; and assault, a class-B misdemeanor. The teen arrested was booked into detention on the same charges, Rivera said.

The investigation is not over, and Rivera’s office asked anyone with further information to call 801-840-4000.