SLCPD arrest man accused of unprovoked attack in Liberty Park

SALT LAKE CITY ( ABC4 ) — A 58-year-old man was taken into custody on Thursday, Nov. 7, after he allegedly assaulted a group of people unprovoked at Liberty Park.

Police say Rafael Manzanilla Perez approached a group of people at the park near 600 East and 1300 South shortly after 2 p.m. Perez allegedly punched one person in the group for "no apparent reason" before pulling out a firearm and pointing it toward five people.

Parkgoers restrained Perez by tackling him and holding him down. While restraining him, members of the community were able to take away the gun as well as a knife he was allegedly carrying.

The Salt Lake City Police Department responded and were able to safely take Perez into custody. During their investigation, officers determined the gun Perez was a BB-gun that closely resembled an actual gun.

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Perez later was booked into the Salt Lake County Metro Jail and faces five counts of aggravated assault and one count of providing false information to a police officer. He is currently being held without bail, pending a pretrial hearing.

The Salt Lake City Police Department said it has seen a dramatic increase in criminal activity occurring liberty Park and is working on addressing the issues. Police say community members have reported seeing fights, drug activity, and lewd behavior, among other criminal activities.

The department has reported arresting 185 people for criminal activity at Liberty Park, which it says is a 46% increase from 2023 and a 198% increase from 2022.

To address the issues, the Salt Lake City Police Department said its Liberty Patrol Division is working to identify criminal behavior and hold offenders accountable through "strategic enforcement." The Liberty Patrol Division, throughout the year, has conducted several enforcement operations inside Liberty Park.

Charges are only allegations, and every arrested person is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.