ST. GEORGE — The sound of street racing in a St. George parking garage led to the arrest of two men that police said were involved in an altercation days before. The incident began as a verbal argument on River Road and escalated into a felony arrest when a gun was allegedly brought into the mix.
On Monday, two suspects, a 22-year-old St. George man, Jay Arthur Garff, and 18-year-old Noah Bissegger, of Pleasant Grove, were arrested shortly before 11 p.m. Officers were dispatched to a report of racing in a parking garage on North Main Street.
The reporting party said they could hear racing towards the top of the parking structure. When officers arrived, they found a gray Subaru passenger car with several individuals’ skate boarding near the vehicle.
It was while speaking to the men in the Subaru, identified as Garff and Bissegger, that officers learned the vehicle the pair was sitting in was reportedly involved in an incident from the previous day at a local hamburger restaurant on River Road.
In that incident, a witness called emergency dispatch to report a verbal altercation involving two men, one of whom was driving a Subaru. The witness said during the argument the passenger pulled out a handgun.
The suspect pointed the gun at the parties and said “that he would shoot them,” the officer noted in the report. Officers also obtained the license plate number that was later matched to the Subaru.
While speaking with police, the suspect said he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant to confront the parties regarding an earlier verbal exchange between them.
When the parties started to approach his vehicle, he pulled out the handgun and placed it in on the dashboard. He told officers it was the passenger who grabbed the firearm and pointed it at the victims, then told officers the gun was still in the vehicle.
The report states that officers recovered one 9 mm handgun during a search the vehicle.
Both men were arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility. Bissegger was booked on four misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia charges. Garff is facing a felony weapons charge, misdemeanor threat/use of weapon and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia charges.
On Tuesday, formal charges were filed against both defendants and bail was set at $3,000. Garff was released after posting a bond, while Bissegger remains in custody. Both defendants are scheduled to appear in 5th District Court on Friday.
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.
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