This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Twenty mobile homes were evacuated in St. George early Tuesday morning before a 59-year-old man who had been shooting a gun on a nearby street was arrested.
According to the St. George Police Department, police began receiving reports that gunshots had been fired at about 12:30 a.m. in a residential area near 500 E. St. George Blvd. Just before 6:30 a.m., police officials said the man was holed up inside a recreational vehicle, and officers were trying to contact him.
At about 11:20 a.m., St. George police officials said communication between the man and police broke down, and officers injected a pepper spray powder into the mobile home.
The man then exited the home and was arrested by police without incident.
Police said the man was involved in a confrontation with a neighbor during which he illegally entered or remained on the neighbor's property and broke property belonging to the neighbor.
He then returned home and a domestic dispute ensued during which he made threats against a cohabitant. During the course of the dispute the man retrieved firearms and began firing shots with an AR-15 rifle and .32-caliber pistol. An estimated 8-10 rounds, possibly more, were fired during the incident, police said.
The man, a St. George resident, was booked into jail on suspicion of criminal trespass, criminal mischief, criminal mischief with domestic violence, threats with domestic violence, unlawful discharge of a firearm and
possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
Several businesses, including a nearby Rite Aid, Perks and their parking lots, were closed as a precaution.
Twitter: @jm_miller