ST. GEORGE — A Nevada man is in custody following a late-night pursuit with police in St. George – one that also involved a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter that was called in to assist.

Tyler James Hoffman, 30, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was arrested Aug. 14 and booked into jail shortly after 5:30 p.m. He faces multiple charges following a pursuit with police.

The chase reportedly began on Interstate 15 near mile marker 4 where an officer was parked and patrolling traffic just before 11 p.m. The license plate reader alerted the officer to a canceled registration on the Ford pickup truck that was heading north towards the Brigham Road exit in St. George, according to charging documents filed with the courts.

The officer pulled entered the highway with lights activated to conduct a traffic stop, and Hoffman sped towards Dixie Drive where he exited the interstate and allegedly ran a red light as he continued west at a high rate of speed.

At the intersection of Black Ridge Drive and Dixie Drive, the driver made a quick U-turn, which is when the officer noted Hoffman was wearing a baseball cap and a blue bandana covering his face. The suspect continued towards the interstate and then he headed south until he reached Brigham Road where the pickup exited the interstate.

According to authorities, Hoffman drove into oncoming traffic as the Ford continued west on Brigham Road near the roundabout and again drove left-of center as the pickup proceeded through a residential area. But the driver encountered a dead-end street and proceeded down a dirt road and “evaded into the desert,” the officer noted.

Meanwhile, a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter arrived in the area to assist in the search for the suspect, and the flight crew spotted the pickup abandoned in a ravine just west of River Road shortly thereafter.

Due to the remote location, a wrecker was called in the following morning to tow the truck to a location where it could be inventoried safely prior to impound.

During the search, officers recovered a number of documents belonging to Hoffman, with whom they were familiar from previous run-ins at the jail. The suspect also matched the driver officers spotted wearing the bandana during the pursuit, information that was confirmed by a Washington County Sheriff’s deputy later that same day.

Two weapons also were  recovered during a search of the pickup, including a long pipe that was the length of a baseball bat with long, sharp nails attached to one end of the pipe –which the officer said “could cause serious bodily injury or even death if it was used to strike a person.”

The second item appeared to be a homemade contraption with a can of pepper spray attached. The report also states the suspect is a convicted felon and is prohibited from possessing any weapons.

Through the course of the investigation, the truck the suspect was driving when he allegedly fled from officers was reported as stolen from a parking lot not far from the ravine where it was later abandoned. The location was near a transient camp, the officer says, and in the same general area where Hoffman was spotted by an officer conducting surveillance in the area.

After confirming Hoffman’s identity, the suspect was taken into custody by police. During a search of the suspect, officers recovered a blue bandana matching the one the suspect was reportedly wearing on the night of the pursuit.

Following the arrest Aug. 14, the suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail facing multiple charges, including a second-degree felony count of possession of a stolen vehicle. He also faces two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon and one count of failing to stop or respond to command of law enforcement, each a third-degree felony.

The suspect was also booked on three misdemeanor traffic-related charges, including one count each of reckless driving, driving on a suspended license and a plate-registration charge.

The officer also noted the suspect was a flight risk, based on Hoffman’s efforts to evade police, and requested he be held without bail – a request that was approved by the court.

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.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

Cody Blowers was raised in South San Francisco, California. A 2013 graduate of Colorado Technical University, Cody earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice with a minor in paralegal studies. Through the course of her academic studies she discovered that writing is her true passion, and she is committed to providing credible, integrated news coverage. Cody joined St. George News in 2015, and when she’s not busy chasing the news, she can generally be found chasing her young granddaughter, Kali.

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