JUAB COUNTY, Utah — A man and woman from Minnesota have been charged with multiple felonies after a shootout and chase with police in Juab County left one bystander injured.
James Howard Klein, 33, of Stillwater Minnesota was charged with four counts of attempted aggravated murder, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and one count of aggravated robbery, all first degree felonies. He was also charged with two counts of theft, which are second degree felonies, two counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person, failing to respond to a police officer's command to stop and altering the number or mark on a gun, all third degree felonies.
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Police say 43-year-old Jennifer Huang of Roseville Minnesota was with Klein during the initial incident and was charged with one count of possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, a second degree felony, one count of possession of a firearm by a restricted person and one count of possession of a controlled substance while in jail or prison, third degree felonies. She was also charged with altering the number or mark on a gun and possession of a controlled substance, both class B misdemeanors and giving false personal information to an officer, a class C misdemeanor.
On May 19, the Klein and Huang were pulled over just south of the Yuba Lake State Park exit on I-15 northbound for "criminal reasons." During the stop, Klein stole a deputy's truck that had a K-9 officer in the back.
After a pursuit involving multiple officers, Klein crashed the vehicle. He took a rifle from inside the law enforcement vehicle and forced bystanders to give him a ride. "He flagged down a passing car and pointed the rifle at the driver stating he would shoot
her if she didn't give him a ride. The passenger in the vehicle grabbed the barrel of the rifle and pushed it away from being pointed at the driver's head," the probable cause statement for Klein said.
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As the driver was driving away, Klein shot the passenger, hitting him in the leg. When officers arrived at the scene, Klein began shooting at them. According to court documents, multiple bullets entered the officer's vehicles and officers shot Klein in the leg.
Multiple agencies were involved in a manhunt to find Klein after he ran away. He was found hiding in the Sevier River around 7:30 pm, across I-15 southwest of where the shooting took place. Authorities took him into custody without any issues.
It was later discovered that Klein has an extensive criminal history in Minnesota and was involved in a shootout with police in March 2020.
