Police: Large-scale search in St. George results in 2 injured officers, arrest

Composite image with background stock image by Prathaan/iStock/Getty Images Plus, overlay stock photo by St. George News

ST. GEORGE —A local man is in jail facing multiple charges following a domestic-related incident that escalated to a wide-scale search by ground and air that ended in a tussle that left two officers injured.

2019 file photo for illustrative purposes only of a Utah Highway Patrol Helicopter in Iron County, Utah, Sept. 27, 2019 | Photo courtesy of the Iron County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News / Cedar City News

Shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday, officers responded to a report of a family fight at a residence on West 540 North in St. George involving a suspect, Austin James Sharette, 34, of St. George. Sharette reportedly had a no-bail warrant for violating a protective order, as well as domestic violence charges previously filed in 5th District Court, according to a statement released by the St. George Police Department on Sunday. 

Shortly after officers arrived, Sharette reportedly got into a vehicle and struck a patrol unit multiple times before fleeing the scene. The suspect’s vehicle was abandoned minutes later and Sharette fled from the area on foot. 

Meanwhile, multiple police units were called in to assist, along with a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter that was deployed to the area to assist in the search. A reverse 911 message was sent out to residents to shelter in place while officers canvassed the area in search of Sharette, the statement said. But after three hours with no success, the search was called off and a second reverse 911 message was transmitted for residents to remain vigilant. 

Officers later located Sharette hiding near Westridge Drive and Sunset Boulevard. After a brief foot pursuit and multiple taser deployments, the officers and Sharette got into a tussle. Sharette eventually was handcuffed and taken into custody by police and then transported to jail in Washington County. 

During the tussle, two of the officers sustained minor injuries.

Charging documents filed in 5th District Court provided additional details as to how the events unfolded over the weekend. Several days prior on Tuesday evening, Sharette was at a residence “acting strangely” in front of his two young children, and after a brief altercation police were called and the suspect fled.

Then on Saturday, emergency dispatch received a call shortly after 11 p.m. reporting that Sharette was back at the residence, which police allege was a violation of a protective order that had been issued out of Salt Lake City that prohibited Sharette from being there. Multiple police units responded to the home and were advised the suspect was still hiding somewhere on the property.

During a search, officers found the suspect in the rear cargo area of a Subaru Outback parked in the attached garage. Officers gave multiple orders to exit the vehicle – commands the suspect appeared to be complying with – initially.

The suspect reportedly crawled towards the front and put the key in the ignition to start the car before attempting to back out of the garage, accelerating quickly. All the while officers were ordering him to stop.

“It is worth noting that the main door to the garage was not fully open when Austin began backing up,” the officer noted. 

The Subaru struck the partially-closed garage door and then struck a police patrol unit parked in the driveway of the residence. The suspect repeated the steps two more times, reportedly pulled forward and then put the car in reverse and hit the gas, striking the patrol car as he maneuvered the Subaru around the patrol unit and then fled from the area.

Officers located the suspect’s vehicle abandoned a few blocks away. 

The large-scale effort to locate the suspect was called off after the three-hour search turned up nothing. 

The following morning, an officer called for assistance and when backup arrived, the responding units found two officers actively fighting with Sharette who was later taken into custody by police. During the altercation, the report states, one of the officers sustained three kicks to the head, while the suspect reportedly attempted to disarm two other officers of their tasers during the scuffle.

2016 file photo for illustrative purposes only of an officer at the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Dixie Drive in St. George, Utah, Dec. 10, 2016 | Photo by Austin Peck, St. George News

The suspect was transported to St. George Regional Hospital for medical clearance before being transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility where he faces multiple charges, including five second-degree felony counts of assault on a peace officer using a dangerous weapon and two counts of disarming a peace officer of energy device, each a third-degree felony. 

He also faces two additional third-degree felony charges for failing to stop at command of law enforcement. The suspect was also booked into jail on nine misdemeanor charges that include two counts of failing to stop at command of law enforcement, assault on a peace officer, two counts of interring with an arresting officer, one charge for property damage, criminal mischief, assault and two counts of domestic violence in the presence of a child charges.

A records check also revealed a no-bail warrant issued out of 3rd District Court in Salt Lake City that was filed in connection with a protective order violation. 

Following the arrest, the St. George police Department issued that statement noting that during the three-hour search, a significant number of resources were deployed by diverting police units away from calls they were responding to in order to search for Sharette. The statement closed by saying, “We appreciate the teamwork from the surrounding agencies and the support from the citizens of our community.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders 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. 

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

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