SALT LAKE CITY — Two Utah juveniles are now in custody accused of stealing vehicles they weren’t even old enough to drive and ramming them into stores to rob them. The suspects’ identities aren’t being released due to their age. “… these are juveniles, under the age of 18.
I mean anywhere from middle school to high school age,” stated Sergeant Aymee Race with the Unified Police Department.

A little over a week ago, detectives say the suspects drove into the T-Mobile store in Mill Creek in the middle of the night, jumped out, and attempted to grab merchandise. They were unsuccessful however and ran away.

A few days later, police say the same suspects committed a successful drive-through, smash, and grab at another cell phone store in Kearns.

Unified Police Detectives say that the suspects never covered their faces and investigators were able to learn from security cameras who they were and went to their homes and arrested the two juveniles.

“And we were able to determine not only in Salt Lake County, Utah County, these individuals have gone around, crashing into businesses and stealing large, high priced items and damaging businesses,” Sgt. Race told FOX 13 News.

According to police, the vehicles used in these smash-and-grab crimes were stolen and they believe the suspects have been doing this for a while all across the Wasatch Front. Detectives in the Metro Gang Unit say they have also identified the people in custody as being documented gang members.

Police are still searching for additional suspects, both male and female, and anyone with information is asked to call Unified Police at 801-840-4000.

The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear Utah’s bid to gain control over millions of acres of federal land, dealing a blow to the state’s efforts to assert greater authority over its natural resources.

Why It Matters

Federal agencies currently oversee nearly 70 percent of Utah’s land, including areas crucial for energy production, mining, grazing and outdoor recreation. Utah officials have argued that state control would ensure better local governance and unlock revenue opportunities through taxation and development. However, the state’s proposal excluded its iconic national parks and monuments from the transfer.

Utah’s push for control highlights a broader debate over federal land management in the West, where sprawling landscapes often fall under the jurisdiction of agencies like the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Critics of federal oversight argue it limits economic potential, while supporters counter that it safeguards public lands for conservation and recreational use.

What To Know

In a brief order on Monday, the high court denied the Republican-led state’s request to file a lawsuit aimed at transferring ownership of approximately half of Utah’s federally managed land, an area comparable in size to South Carolina.

The Supreme Court, as is customary in such instances, provided no explanation for its decision, stating only that “the motion for leave to file a bill of complaint is denied.”

The decision comes after Utah sued in August to try to gain control of 18.5 million acres that is held by the federal government.

The filing, which state leaders said was the result of “decades of legal analysis,” targeted BLM land “unappropriated” to parks, monuments or other national sites.

According to The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Governor Spencer Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Attorney General Derek Brown said they were disappointed in the court’s decision.

The federal Bureau of Land Management declined to comment to The Associated Press.

What People Are Saying

Republican Utah Governor Spencer Cox said in August: “Utah deserves priority when it comes to managing its land. It’s been a tragedy to see what this administration and past administrations have done to our land, closing down roads that have been open for generations.”

Cox, Senate President Stuart Adams, House Speaker Mike Schultz and Attorney General Derek Brown said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune: “We are also heartened to know the incoming [Trump] administration shares our commitments to the principle of ‘multiple use’ for these federal lands and is committed to working with us to improve land management. We will continue to fight to keep public lands in public hands because it is our stewardship, heritage and home.”

Utah House Minority Leader Angela Romero, a Democrat, praised the Supreme Court’s decision in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune as a “win for all Americans and the protection of our environment. Today’s actions serve as an important reminder that our public lands should not be privatized or exploited for short-term benefits.”

What Happens Next

While it’s unclear what state officials will do next, the state said in a statement to The Salt Lake Tribune that they “remain able and willing to challenge any BLM land management decisions that harm Utah.”

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear Utah’s challenge against public lands, striking a major blow to the state’s effort to wrest control of millions of acres of land from the federal government.

The state in August filed a lawsuit asking the court to declare the federal Bureau of Land Management’s ownership of 18.5 million acres of land in Utah unconstitutional, with potential ramifications for public lands across the country.

The filing, which state leaders said was the result of “decades of legal analysis,” targeted BLM land “unappropriated” to parks, monuments or other national sites.

Utah argued the BLM’s ownership and oversight of that land harms the state’s sovereignty and that the federal government should start to “dispose of these lands.”

“We’re grateful the Supreme Court swiftly rejected the State of Utah’s misguided land grab lawsuit,” Steve Bloch, legal director for the environmental nonprofit Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, said in a statement. “For more than 100 years, the Supreme Court has affirmed the power of the federal government to hold and manage public lands on behalf of all Americans.”

The state has paid Clement & Murphy, PLLC, a law firm based in Virginia, over $500,000 since 2023 to litigate the case.

Utah has also budgeted over $2.6 million for a public relations campaign to raise “awareness” that the BLM’s policies for public land in the West “are harming Utahns by restricting access to public lands, hindering active management, and reducing economic and recreation opportunities.”

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance in December sued the Utah governor and attorney general for bringing this case to the Supreme Court.

The group wants the state 3rd District Court to bar Utah from questioning the constitutionality of “unappropriated” public lands in any court.