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LEWISTON, Cache County — Police on Wednesday identified a man shot during a standoff near the Utah-Idaho border Tuesday as Cade M. Austin of Preston, Idaho.
Logan Police Chief Gary Jensen said Austin, 30, was driving erratically on U.S. 91 near Lewiston Tuesday. He eventually ran off the road and crashed into "a large natural gas mainline" causing gas to spew out of it, he said.
But when the first paramedics arrived at the scene, Austin pulled a gun on them, Jensen said.
Among the first responders was Jeremy Hunt, who is the assistant fire chief for the Smithfield Fire Department, a member of Cache County Ambulance and a reserve officer with the North Park Police Department. Hunt was carrying a firearm at the time.
"Logan City detectives and state crime lab technicians are still piecing together the sequence of events, but it is believed there was an exchange of gunfire, followed by a rapid retreat of all personnel to positions of cover," Jensen said.
For over an hour, law enforcement and Austin were at a standoff.
"Cade remained in his car, appeared to be wounded in the exchange of gunfire but continued to (wave a gun at police)," Jensen said.
Complicating the standoff further was the fact that natural gas continued to leak into the air.
The standoff ended when Austin appeared to lose consciousness and SWAT team members from Logan police and the Cache County Sheriff's Office approached the vehicle and took him into custody.
Jensen said Wednesday that Austin was shot multiple times, but it was unknown if any of his injuries were self-inflicted. He said doctors treating him in Ogden reported that Austin was "expected to survive."
Jensen said detectives were still retracing Austin's steps, as well as waiting to serve a search warrant on his vehicle. Authorities were also searching Austin's house in Idaho, but Jensen declined comment Wednesday whether any evidence was found.
According to Utah state court records, Austin used to live in Logan in 2006 and 2008 when he was cited for driving without registration.
Contributing: Mike Anderson
