Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
CEDAR CITY — A 36-year-old man suspected in an assault case was critically injured after he was shot by police following a pursuit in southern Utah Sunday night, authorities said.
The chain of events began when the Cedar City police responded to a report of an assault in progress in the city about 8 p.m. Witnesses told authorities the 36-year-old man, identified as Larry Joseph Lee Tessier, attacked a 39-year-old with a knife, said Iron County Sheriff's Lt. Del Schlosser, representing the Iron-Beaver-Garfield Counties Critical Incident Task Force, in a statement.
Tessier fled the scene in an SUV before officers arrived; police caught up with the vehicle and a pursuit began, Schlosser said.
Iron County Sheriff's deputies and Enoch police assisted in the pursuit. Officers deployed a spike strip, which the fleeing vehicle ran over but it didn't end the pursuit. Authorities also attempted pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuvers twice to no avail, Schlosser added.
Schlosser said at some point during the pursuit Tessier, still driving the SUV, made contact with a law enforcement vehicle as he attempted to flee. Four officers fired their guns at the vehicle and Tessier was struck multiple times, officials said.
Officers performed "life-saving treatment" on Tessier at the scene before he was transported by ambulance to Cedar City Hospital. He was then transferred by medical helicopter to St. George Regional Hospital and remained in critical condition Monday morning, according to Schlosser.
Schlosser said the 39-year-old in the original assault case was injured but that man's condition was not immediately released. He added that the officers who fired their weapons at Tessier were placed on administrative leave, per standard protocol.
The Iron-Beaver-Garfield Counties Critical Incident Task Force is investigating the case.
