LAYTON, UT — A routine traffic stop in Layton ended in a car chase, a foot pursuit and a felony conviction after police said a driver gave a false name, ignored commands and drove off. Body camera and dashcam video released by police show the April 16, 2025 encounter unfolding step by step.

According to the police affidavit, officers stopped 34-year-old Noe Armando Gonzalez and a male passenger for an inoperable license plate light. What began as a minor equipment violation quickly shifted when Gonzalez told the officer his name was Juan Jimenez and said he did not have identification with him.

Officers say the stop changed after a records check and a marijuana odor

The officer ran the names through a background check and found that the passenger had an arrest warrant tied to failing to disclose his identity to a police officer. Police said they were unable to find records for Gonzalez under the name he gave, which raised further suspicion during the stop.

Two additional officers soon arrived, and police said they smelled marijuana coming from the vehicle. At that point, officers ordered both men out of the car. The affidavit says Gonzalez refused, rolled up the window and ignored repeated lawful commands to open it and exit the vehicle.

After several minutes, an officer broke the window with a baton in an effort to arrest the occupants. Police said Gonzalez then drove away, prompting officers to begin a pursuit.

Dashcam captured the attempted PIT maneuver and the chase to an apartment complex

Dashcam video showed officers trying multiple times to use a PIT maneuver to stop Gonzalez’s car, according to the police account. Gonzalez, however, drove erratically across the roadway and prevented the maneuver from succeeding.

The chase continued until the vehicle reached an apartment complex. Police said Gonzalez then got out and ran, leading officers on a foot pursuit. An officer used a taser during the chase, but it was not effective, according to the affidavit.

Gonzalez jumped over a fence before surrendering to officers and being arrested without further incident. Police said the passenger remained in the vehicle and cooperated with the investigation.

Marijuana and paraphernalia were found after the foot chase

Investigators said they recovered a small baggie of marijuana and other drug paraphernalia that Gonzalez discarded during the chase on foot. After officers read him his Miranda rights, Gonzalez admitted that he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day.

A blood test later showed that he was driving under the influence, according to the police account. The passenger was not charged in this incident, court records show, although he was booked and later sentenced on the separate identity-related charge connected to the traffic stop.

Gonzalez admitted guilt on two charges before sentencing in Weber County

Prosecutors charged Gonzalez with a third-degree felony for failing to stop at the command of police, along with a class A misdemeanor obstruction of justice charge. He also faced class B misdemeanor counts for driving under the influence, possessing marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and interfering with a police officer, plus a class C misdemeanor for providing false personal information.

Gonzalez later pleaded guilty to the felony charge of failing to stop at the command of police and the class B misdemeanor DUI charge. The other counts were dismissed with prejudice, meaning they cannot be filed again. On April 30, 2026, he was sentenced to four months in the Weber County Jail and placed on probation for three years.

A prior Ogden shooting case in 2012 also involved Gonzalez

Court records and police history cited in the case also show that Gonzalez had been involved in a separate incident in 2012. In that case, an Ogden officer fired at him as he tried to escape from a robbery.

For that case, Gonzalez received a prison sentence of up to five years. The Layton case, by contrast, stemmed from a traffic stop that officers said escalated after Gonzalez gave a false name and refused repeated commands during the encounter.