Standoff on I-15 near Cedar City closes interstate for more than two hours
Oct 16, 2023, 10:30 PM | Updated: Oct 17, 2023, 9:37 am
CEDAR CITY, Iron County — Utah Highway Patrol took a man into custody Monday after a standoff on I-15 that shut down the interstate for over two hours.
According to a UHP spokesman, the driver initially fled from an officer in Washington County before troopers spotted the man’s car near milepost 48 in Iron County.
The car once again began to flee troopers, according to UHP, and troopers spiked the car’s tires at milepost 56.
The spokesman said the car stopped at milepost 58 and a standoff began between troopers, SWAT team members and the driver, who refused to exit the vehicle.
“I was on FaceTime with my mom and my mom’s like, ‘what is going on?’” said Southern Utah University student Morgan Keyes, who watched the ordeal unfold near her apartment. “All of a sudden I see officers all over and then to my left I have SWAT in the circle and they are telling me to get back in my apartment. I didn’t even know what was going on!”
Multiple methods and attempts used
UHP said officers and SWAT used multiple methods and attempts to get the driver to comply.
Video captured by a KSL photographer showed SWAT team members deploy what looked like a gas before eventually removing the driver from the car.
“The smoke bombs, the tear gas—I had one of the windows open and I could feel it myself,” Keyes said.
Keyes said living next to the freeway, she had seen quite a few things, but nothing quite like that.
“To see a standoff right in front of my apartment when I had no clue what was going on or that that was even happening was kind of shocking to say the least,” Keyes said. “My poor mom is on FaceTime also confused, just trying to figure out what is going on so kind of scared her a little bit. Sorry, mom.”
The UHP spokesman said troopers transported the driver to the hospital to be checked out and then booked him into jail.
