Utah man charged, accused of threatening people displaying a Trump flag
Jul 7, 2020, 12:22 PM | Updated: 1:12 pm
Woman holds Trump flag in the back of a truck. Photo courtesy - AP
SALT LAKE CITY — As people across Utah headed out to celebrate the 4th of July they were likely expecting the boom of fireworks to be a part of their celebration, not the boom of a gun going off. But several people say a Utah man wielding a gun threatened them because of the Trump flag on their ATV.
The charges
According to a police affidavit obtained by Deseret News, a group of people reported feeling terrorized by Omar Johnson Levi, 40, of Fillmore. He has been charged with 23 felonies and 5 misdemeanors.
Among the charges filed on Monday in 4th District Court against Levi are 23 felonies. They include the illegal carrying of a concealed firearm, a second-degree felony plus 11 charges of aggravated assault, 6 counts of illegal discharge of a firearm, 3 counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person and witness tampering all of which are third-degree felonies.
In addition to the felony charges, Levi is also charged with misdemeanor evidence tampering and issuing a threat to use a weapon in a fight which are both class A misdemeanors. He is also charged with a class B misdemeanor of a threat of violence, and class C misdemeanor of intoxication. Levi was also allegedly driving without a valid driver’s license.
A call for help
The police affidavit says sheriff’s deputies from Millard County responded to a call just before 6 p.m. in Fillmore Canyon, after reports had come in saying that a man was pointing a weapon at people and also firing the weapon.
The Trump flag at the center of the threat
As deputies arrived, they said Levi left in a vehicle, reportedly to find his wife, who had already left the scene. The affidavit stated she fled, “due to him pointing the gun at her head threatening to kill her and firing it, with five more victims.
“While confronting them, Levi pointed the gun at all of them, and began firing it out the window of his vehicle getting closer and closer to the victims before ceasing fire, getting out and pulling out what was described as an AR-type rifle and pointing it at them, before fleeing down the mountain.
“While speaking with 11 separate victims, it was identified that Levi had threatened five individuals including one juvenile by pulling a gun out of his waistband and pointing it at them, making a statement about them having Trump flags on their four-wheeler and threatening the juvenile that he was going to come break into his house and kill his family,” the affidavit continued.
The responding deputies also suspect that Levi threw the weapons out of the window of his vehicle as he drove toward his home. He was arrested and taken to the Millard County Jail, where he was given a blood-alcohol test. According to investigators, his result came back as 0.144, which is almost three times the legal limit for driving.
