Man charged with rioting in fight, stabbing at Valley Fair Mall
WEST VALLEY CITY UT April 26 2020— A man was charged Friday with participating in a large fight that resulted in a stabbing at Valley Fair Mall.
Giovanni Javier Farra Ruiz, 20, of West Valley City, is charged in 3rd District Court with rioting, a second-degree felony.
On March 16, police were called to a fight that started inside the mall, 3601 S. 2700 West. The group was escorted by security out of the building before West Valley police arrived. Officers were shown pictures and videos of the incident.
“The videos show a female pull out a Phillips head screwdriver and stab one of the males multiple times in the side,” according to charging documents.
That male, a 16-year-old boy, was driven to the hospital by Ruiz, who was identified in surveillance video as one of the participants in the fight, the charges state.
When questioned by police, Ruiz said he was with three friends at the mall when four males and a female started “giving them mean looks,” the charges state. “The two groups started to exchange words and ‘get into it’ until security broke them up.”
Once outside the mall, the two groups resumed fighting, which is when investigators believe the victim was stabbed. Ruiz told police he didn’t see a screwdriver, but ran when he saw a gun, according to the charges.
It was not immediately known Friday whether others involved in the fight had been arrested.
