ST. GEORGE — A suspect wanted on an arrest warrant was injured during a SWAT team response on Saturday at the Motel 6 near Red Hills Parkway.
St. George Police Public Information Officer Tiffany Mitchell told St. George News that patrol officers noticed two men in their 20s-30s allegedly “intoxicated and struggling to walk” at approximately 4:30 a.m. on Saturday morning.
When the officers activated their lights, both men barricaded themselves into a room at Motel 6, located at 205 N. 1000 East in St. George.
The officers discovered that one man had a no-bail warrant for aggravated assault and firing a weapon at a building.
The officers drafted a warrant to go into the room and arrest him. They contacted SWAT to help serve the warrant because the agency that had issued the no-bail warrant said they have had “several serious dealings” with the suspect.
SWAT officers tried to contact the suspect for 45 minutes to no avail, Mitchell stated. The St. George Police SWAT team was asked to evaluate the situation.
The SWAT team deployed chemical munitions to try and gain compliance, Mitchell continued. After they got to the doorway, the second man exited the room and informed officers the suspect had a firearm. It was then discovered the suspect allegedly “shot himself.” Officers heard what they believed was multiple gunfire. Officers also reported a “homemade” firearm was used.
“He was severely injured and initially in the room with all the chemicals in the air, they thought he was breathing,” Mitchell said. “However, when they were able to pull him outside where they could evaluate him better they realized he was not breathing.”
Emergency responders performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the suspect was transported to St. George Regional Hospital. His current injury condition is unknown at the time and has not been booked on any charges as of this report.
Officers verified the second man as someone who met the suspect recently and was “unaware of the warrant.” The second man informed them he was a transient who met the suspect at Maverik and was invited back to the room to “hang out.”
Mitchell said the investigation is still ongoing. St. George News will update this report as more information is released to the public.
This report is based on statements from police officers or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
UPDATED: May 6 @ 8:20 p.m. – Information added was released on incident proceedings and the relationship between the two men involved.
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