Armed man leads officers through 3 states during pursuit that began in St. George

MESQUITE, Nev. — An armed man, who police say is a convicted felon, led officers on a chase through multiple states on Monday, starting in St. George, police said.

St. George police department public information officer Tiffany Mitchell said neighbors spotted the man parked outside of a cul-de-sac near Nelson Circle and Bloomington Drive.

"Thought that he was suspicious and kind of kept an eye on him," Mitchell said. "He then pulled into the victim's driveway and got out."

She said he first walked up to the front door, then walked around the side of the house and jumped into a window well to kick open a window.

"That's the point where the homeowner came out of the home, made contact with the suspect, at which point the suspect pulled a gun, racked it, pointed it at the homeowner and threatened to kill him," Mitchell said.

The man and the homeowner had some kind of interaction and the suspect sped away in a black sedan stolen from Utah County, Mitchell said.

"The homeowner and the neighbor who saw this got a vehicle description and a license plate number," Mitchell said. Officers went after the driver, who police said was armed with a handgun.

Mitchell said the homeowners called Mesquite police for backup when they saw the driver was traveling south on Interstate 15 toward Arizona, and then Nevada.

The police pursued the suspect out of their jurisdiction because the suspect threatened a person with a gun, Mitchell said.

"We may be in other states but we happen to have to work with each other often," Mitchell said.

Mesquite police public information officer Sergeant Wyatt Oliver told KSL-TV the man was responsible for purse-snatching in the area earlier in the week. During the pursuit, they discovered he had shot into a vehicle in Las Vegas on Friday and police realized he was armed.

Wyatt said Mesquite police deployed spike strips while officers with St. George police and Washington County Sheriff's Office tried to stop him using a maneuver that attempts to stop or spin a car by use of a police vehicle. Wyatt said the driver drove off the side of the freeway into the Casablanca casino parking lot.

Bill and Anissa Roberts, a couple from Bolivar, Missouri, told KSL-TV they were looking for a parking spot when the black car pulled up beside them. They were on their way to visit their son in northern California.

"The suspect got out quickly and pointed his gun at me, trying to open the driver's door, yelling, "Get out!" Bill Roberts said.

Roberts said he and his wife quickly got out and watched the suspect take off in their car. The couple is deaf and said they had no idea a pursuit was going on at the time.

"We wish there was a way to alert people like us," Bill Roberts said. "We know that hearing people were able to listen on the radio and be aware of what was occurring. Maybe if we were able to receive a text alert on our phones then the situation could have been avoided."

Wyatt said the man drove the Roberts' car, a white SUV, down a road that dead-ended into a golf course. He said that's where the man got stuck, got out of the car and ran.

Police said a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter spotted him hiding in thick brush. "That was instrumental in helping us locate that suspect," Mitchell said.

The man took his own life, Mesquite police said. The Clark County Coroner's Office is the agency responsible for releasing his name. The agency has not yet identified the man.

The Roberts said their SUV is at a dealership in St. George. They're waiting to hear if they can drive it back home. St. George police said several agencies successfully worked together on this pursuit.

"It happens more often than we're used to," Mitchell said. "It's becoming more and more of a situation which makes us better and better at having to respond to it."

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