Police: Man threatening neighbors with knife, leads officers in multi-agency chase
Feb 4, 2023, 6:57 PM
St. George police say two people wanted for the robbery of a pharmacy in April 2023 have been arrested in Wyoming. (KSL TV)
(KSL TV)
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — A man is in police custody after “waving” a knife around bystanders and fleeing from police Friday evening.
Tyler Jorden Oliphant, 30, was booked into the Washington County Jail for charges of aggravated assault, failing to stop at the command of police, unlawful possession of a dangerous weapon, and the threat of violence, according to the affidavit.
A St. George Police officer responded to a disorderly call of a man, later identified as Oliphant, waving a knife around people near 1700 N 2060 W. The suspect was reportedly driving a white Ford pickup truck.
When the officer arrived, they noticed a car matching the suspect’s vehicle trying to drive away from the scene, according to the affidavit. The officer attempted to pull over the car, but it fled from police.
The St. George PD officer continued to chase the vehicle until it ran a red light forcing the officer to stop the chase out of safety concerns.
According to the affidavit, police returned to the crime scene and spoke to multiple victims and witnesses. Victims told police that Oliphant was on his own property when he started to walk towards them and was “making threats and gestures with the knife towards them.”
“One of the victims informed me before (Oliphant) had gotten a knife, he had chased them on foot while they were driving in a vehicle and believed (Oliphant) had thrown an object towards the vehicle,” according to the affidavit.
Another victim claimed that Oliphant stepped in front of their car to prevent them from driving forward while waving the knife around and threatening to kill everyone around the vehicle.
The Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department later found Oliphant’s car near Cleary Hills, and he fled from officers again in his car.
According to the Santa Clara-Ivins Public Safety Facebook page, their officers chased Oliphant on Old Hwy 91 past Fire Lake, where the Washington County Sheriff’s Office took over the chase.
“The suspect’s vehicle broke down off Motoqua road, and the suspect was taken into custody without incident,” according to the Facebook post.
