Shot fired at Bloomington hotel; suspect arrested on I-15 offramp

Written by Chris Reed
May 27, 2022

ST. GEORGE — Police arrested a suspect Friday morning on an off-ramp to Interstate 15 in Bloomington after they say he crossed the freeway after shooting a gun in the St. George La Quinta Inn & Suites. 

Police arrest a suspect on the Brigham Road offramp to south Interstate 15, St. George Utah, May 27, 2022 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

According to police, the suspect fired a handgun on the second floor of the hotel at 91 E. 2680 South, then fled the scene. The incident happened around 9 a.m., and police responded within three minutes. 

“Officers expedited their response to the area as dispatchers contacted nearby businesses making them aware of the situation,” St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell said in a statement.

As police arrived and were assisted by staff and witnesses with a description of the suspect, identified as a homeless male, the suspect was seen going across the nearby northbound side of the freeway before ending up on the Brigham Road offramp of I-15 south. 

On the offramp, the suspect, identified as Sergio Avila, was apprehended by police.

Along the way, police said the suspect threw the firearm into the brush alongside the highway where police later found the handgun.

Mitchell said police continue to investigate but there is no further danger to the public.

Handgun found in brush by police above the Brigham Road offramp to south Interstate 15, St. George Utah, May 27, 2022 | Photo courtesy of St. George Police, St. George News

“There were no injuries and there is no immediate danger to the community,” Mitchell said.

Staff at the hotel declined comment.

In images released by St. George Police, a bullet hole could be seen in a doorway as well as ricochet marks.

The suspect was first briefly looked at by Gold Cross Ambulance paramedics on the scene but shortly after released back to the police. Put in handcuffs, he was loaded into a police vehicle.

“Medical clearance is pretty standard, making sure physical and mentally they are OK since they will be going to jail,” Mitchell said.

The motive, reason for the shooting or whether a person was shot at is unclear. It is also not known if the shooter was a guest at the hotel.

However, Avila has been booked at Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane on felony charges of aggravated assault, weapon possession by a restricted person and criminal mischief. He is will face a misdemeanor charge of discharge of a weapon and an infraction of a pedestrian on the freeway.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Photo Gallery


Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!