Man shot by deputies after armed home invasion, chase in Cache County
Apr 19, 2022, 4:40 PM | Updated: Jun 11, 2022, 12:03 am
CACHE COUNTY, Utah — A man was transported to a hospital Tuesday after authorities say he broke into a home while armed, stole a vehicle, then led deputies on a high-speed pursuit before being shot by deputies in Cache County.
Sandra Lewis and her friends meet once a month to crochet and hook — it’s where you make elaborate rugs. On Tuesday, the group of women was working on a rug for Ukraine that says “peace” when things took a very scary turn.
“We were just visiting and hooking and this Hispanic gentleman comes walking in the back door, walks up to the one lady and said, ‘I want keys,'” Lewis said.
Lewis said the man, who entered through her open garage in Wellsville, Utah, was in a rush and armed.
“He had, I think it was an AR15,” she said.
The women gave him keys, and as fast as he came, he left.
“When he went out of here, he was going fast, so it made us wonder what he was running from,” Lewis said.
Officer-involved shooting in Paradise after a deputies say a man, armed with an AR15 robbed a house and led them on a chase. More tonight on @KSL5TV at 10.
— Debbie Worthen (@DebbieWorthen) April 19, 2022
The women called 911 after the man left in the car, and that’s when sheriff’s deputies took over.
Within minutes, officers spotted the stolen van.
“We tried to initiate a traffic stop, which, the suspect fled and there was a high-speed pursuit,” said Cache County Sheriff Chad Jensen.
“The chase went from Wellsville through Nibley and ended in Paradise with an officer involved shooting,” stated a press release Tuesday afternoon from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office.
“He came out with a rifle slung on his chest,” Jensen said. “The deputy gave commands and shots were exchanged and fired.”
The deputy reportedly shot the man twice.
No deputies were hurt.
“It’s horrible. The first thing that I think of is I hope my deputy is OK,” Jensen said.
As for Sandra Lewis and her friends, she says, “I just feel like we were blessed because nothing happened to us.”
She says she also learned a valuable lesson.
“I have a brother that, every time he drives by here and my garage door is open, he calls me and tells me to close my garage door.”
The suspect was taken to Logan Regional Hospital, and later transported to the state prison, according to the sheriff’s office. He has now been identified by authorities as 36-year-old Isaac Washakie from Draper, Utah.
Washakie was on parole from the Utah State Prison at the time of the incident.
An investigation is currently underway by the Northern Utah Critical Incident Team.
There are two Cache county Sheriff’s deputies on paid leave pending that investigation.