CEDAR CITY, Utah, Feb. 26, 2021 (Gephardt Daily) — A 36-year-old man who was shot by Cedar City police officers on Feb. 14 has been released from the hospital and is now in jail on suspicion of using a knife to assault another man and then fleeing from police.
According to information from the Cedar City Police Department, Larry Joseph Lee Tessier was released from Dixie Regional Medical Center today (Friday) and was transported to the Iron County Correctional Facility, where he was booked on the following charges:
- Two counts of aggravated assault, a third-degree felony
- One count of failure to stop at the command of a peace officer, a third-degree felony
The incident is still under investigation by the Iron/Beaver/Garfield Counties Critical Incident Task Force, and additional charges may be forthcoming, CCPD said.
Cedar City officers were dispatched at 8 p.m. Feb. 14 to an assault in progress, an earlier CCPD statement said.
“It was reported that a male had allegedly assaulted another male with a knife,” the statement said. “A 39-year-old male victim was injured in the assault. Before Cedar City Police Officers arrived on the scene, the 36-year-old adult male, Larry Joseph Lee Tessier, fled in a 2000 Ford Expedition.”
Cedar City Police Officers located Tessier and conducted a traffic stop, the police statement said. Officers were talking with Tessier when he fled from the traffic stop, and officers began a pursuit.
“Tessier then allegedly drove recklessly on the roadways, swerving into oncoming traffic and driving on the sidewalk at times,” according to the statement.
“Tessier continued to drive recklessly and allegedly swerving towards officers assisting in the pursuit. Iron County Sheriff’s Office and Enoch City Police Department responded to assist with the pursuit as well. During the pursuit, the vehicle was spiked but continued to flee from law enforcement.”
Two pursuit intervention technique (PIT) maneuvers were performed, but were not successful. Tessier was forced off the roadway with another PIT maneuver, but continued to drive, the Cedar City Police statement said.
“Tessier allegedly rammed one Law Enforcement vehicle and then backed up and started aggressively driving towards another Law Enforcement vehicle as he attempted again to flee,” it said. “Due to the action of Tessier, four Cedar City Police Department Officers discharged their weapons.”
The officers who fired — Cpl. Zac Adams, Officer Orlas DeMasters, Officer Heather Daynes and Officer Tyrell Crofts — are on paid administrative leave as required by standard protocol.
“Tessier was struck several times and officers on scene began life-saving treatment,” the earlier police statement said. He was transported to Cedar City Hospital and later flown to Dixie Regional Medical Center for further treatment of his injuries.
The victim in the initial assault was treated at Cedar City Hospital and released later on the day of the attack.
