SWAT drawn to vehicle blocking traffic in Iron County

ST. GEORGE — A call reporting that a vehicle was blocking the southbound lane of state Route 130 near mile marker 33 sent troopers to a remote area of northern Iron County early Sunday morning.

The driver of this gold Toyota Camry allegedly threatened troopers before firing several shots from a pellet gun out the driver’s side window Dec. 20, 2020. | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News.

The call came in at approximately 4:30 a.m., and UHP Trooper Ryan Horton arrived on scene a little after 5:30 a.m., where he found a gold 2008 Toyota Camry blocking the road near a curve and a hill.

“Trooper Horton knocked on the window,” Utah Highway Patrol Sergeant Bambi Baie told St. George News. “The windows were tinted black, and the windshield was icy, so Horton couldn’t see inside the vehicle.”

After receiving no response, Horton called a tow truck. Shortly after the tow truck arrived, the driver of the Camry, later identified as 30-year-old Andrew Lee Kaiser, of California, rolled down the window. (See Ed. note)

“Kaiser told Trooper Horton and the tow truck driver to get away from his car,” Baie said. “He alluded to having a weapon in the car.”

Baie said the man then allegedly said, “Come near my car again, and we’ll see what happens.”

Horton said that the man refused to identify himself and refused to get out of the vehicle. This prompted Horton to call in Iron County Sheriffs Department SWAT, which includes officers from several law enforcement agencies, including the Utah Highway Patrol, Iron County Sheriffs Department, Cedar City Police Department, Enoch City Police Department and Beaver Police Department.

Intermountain Life Flight and Gold Cross ambulance also responded to the call.

“We wanted to ensure everyone’s safety,” Baie said.

Troopers closed down State Route 130 near the Family Dollar in Enoch Dec. 20, 2020. | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News.

Troopers said that Kaiser fired several shots out the driver-side window. They added that the shots weren’t aimed at law enforcement or responders but aimed into a field to the west of the Camry.

“That’s when we discovered that it was a pellet gun,” Baie said. “Of course, we can’t be too safe in situations like this one.”

When SWAT asked Kaiser to get out of his vehicle, he allegedly refused. When SWAT entered the vehicle, Horton said Kaiser fled on foot.

When SWAT caught up to Kaiser, they alleged that he kicked them, according to Horton’s affidavit. After being apprehended by SWAT, Kaiser was transported to Cedar City Hospital.

Troopers said that they found a Sig Sauer P226 Air pistol in Kaiser’s Camry, as well as a small amount of heroin and a piece of burned tinfoil that troopers said was used to consume heroin.

Kaiser was later booked on several misdemeanor charges, including assaulting a police officer, possession of a controlled substance, threatening officers with a weapon, possession of paraphernalia, disorderly conduct, failure to stop and failing to disclose identity.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Cedar City News reporter Jeff Richards contributed to this report.

Updated Dec. 21, 12:05 p.m. to include identity of suspect and charges filed.

Ed. note: An earlier version of this article identified the suspect’s last name as “Kaizer.”

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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