A Utah man allegedly held his girlfriend and her family captive for six months after convincing them that the cartel was after them.
Dominic Christopher Garcia, 23, was arrested on Saturday for multiple assault and kidnapping charges, according to the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake.
Police responded to the Millcreek home after someone called to report that Garcia, their daughter’s boyfriend, was holding their family of seven hostage. Their relatives were “not able to take it any longer, and they were holding (Garcia) at gunpoint until police arrived.”
Garcia “repeatedly told them the cartel would kill them if they did not do what they were told,” according to a probable cause affidavit obtained by NBC News.
He later told police that it was all a lie.
“The family has lived in constant fear of Dominic and the people Dominic has led them to believe were trying to kill them for approximately 6 months,” according to the police. “Dominic has had access to handguns and has been threatening to use or have others use those weapons causing death to the family, causing them to believe their [lives were] in danger.”
According to the affidavit, Garcia’s pregnant girlfriend’s father granted him permission to move into their home in December 2024.
The father, who was given the designation “RS” in the indictment, claimed that “almost immediately (after moving in), he (Garcia) started telling the family that his family was part of a business that had ties to the cartel and that in order to stay on the cartel’s good side, they needed to do certain things, and they needed to be diligent in their safety.”
According to the affidavit, Garcia began carrying a 10-millimeter handgun purchased by his girlfriend’s father, claiming that it was for protection but that he “would point the gun around the house,” empty it, and “then point the gun at random members of the family as a game,” KSL reported.
According to the affidavit, one family member reported that Garcia pointed a handgun at her and threatened to kill her, telling her that “the men wanted her punished and held accountable” for a message she sent to a friend.
According to police, Garcia could “routinely go through their phones and check to see who they were communicating with and would confront them about anything he did not agree with.”
According to the affidavit, Garcia would also limit or restrict the family’s ability to leave the house and would yell at them if they did so for an extended period of time.
When police questioned Garcia on Saturday following his arrest, he stated that he had “continued this lie for several months because he did not know how to stop it in fear that they would not like him,” according to police.
Garcia is charged with seven counts of aggravated assault, seven counts of aggravated kidnapping, seven counts of hazing with a dangerous weapon, and seven counts of threatening violence.
He is being held without bond at the Salt Lake County Jail because his family is concerned that if he is released, he will come after them, according to police.
