Holladay homeowner chases intruders, fires warning shot


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HOLLADAY — A homeowner fired a warning shot to scare two people who broke into his house Monday and began taking items, police said.

Sometime before 7 a.m., a man and woman forced their way into a garage near 2100 East and Walker Lane (5450 South), and then forced their way through a second door leading into the house, said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal.

The duo started lining up items, such as speakers and other electronics, to take out of the house, Hoyal said. Investigators believe the couple made several trips in and out of the home taking items.

The homeowners, both in their 50s, were asleep in an upstairs bedroom of the large home when they heard one of their small dogs barking at the intruders, Hoyal said. The wife went downstairs to investigate why the dog was barking and saw the door to the garage open and some of their possessions rearranged in her house.

She called 911 and went to wake her husband. The woman did not see anyone in her house at that time, Hoyal said.

But when the husband got up to search, the intruders walked back in just as he came into the room. The homeowner, who had a handgun with him, chased the couple out of his house. As he was chasing them down his driveway, the lieutenant said the man fired a warning shot into the ground.

"When officers arrived, they actually heard a shot being fired," Hoyal said.

The officers responding to the 911 call arrived just as the two were running out of the house. Hoyal said police chased them to another driveway, where they were arrested.

Crystal Henard, 38, and Brian Olsen, 30, who goes by the nickname "Chaos," were arrested for investigation of robbery.

Investigators were still trying to determine Monday what the couple intended to do with the items they were allegedly attempting to steal. Detectives had not found a getaway vehicle parked anywhere in the area.

It was also unknown Monday whether the two had broken into any other homes or why they picked the house that they did, Hoyal said. As of Monday, the victims of the robbery appeared to been chosen at random.

Both Henard and Olsen have extensive criminal histories, according to Utah state court records. Olsen already faces charges in cases filed this year for felony theft and forgery.

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