CEDAR CITY — A man who police say has a history of making threats was arrested and taken into custody Tuesday after authorities found him hiding in a Cedar City neighborhood.
Sean Michael Burdan, 46, was reportedly found hiding in a ravine near 200 S. Casa Loma Lane and apprehended without further incident by officers with the Iron County Metro SWAT team just before 5 p.m., according to a press release from the Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
The events leading up to Burdan’s arrest began approximately 24 hours earlier, when authorities responded to a residence near 6600 W. 1100 North to investigate a report of death threats that Burdan had allegedly made to a relative via text message just after 5 p.m. Monday.
“At this time, Burdan’s location was unknown,” according to the release. “However, deputies learned Burdan had been making statements of ‘suicide by cop,’ and deputies felt if contact was made with Burdan it may escalate to a use of force situation,” thereby leading authorities to call off the search for the night.
Then, Tuesday afternoon, detectives with Iron County Sheriff’s Office were conducting surveillance at Burdan’s residence on Meadow Street and reportedly observed him leaving the house and getting behind the wheel of a blue 2005 Nissan Altima.
At around 1:30 p.m., as Burdan’s car was heading past the CarQuest auto parts store near 2150 W. Highway 56, the detectives reportedly attempted to get the car to pull over.
Instead of stopping, however, the driver reportedly continued towards College Way, where he then allegedly drove over a curb and fled toward nearby Leigh Hill.
“Detectives immediately terminated the pursuit for public safety reasons and put an attempt to locate out on Burdan’s vehicle,” the press release stated. “Law enforcement was advised at this time Burdan may be armed and has a history of making threats towards law enforcement.”
At approximately 1:39 p.m., just 10 minutes after the initial attempted traffic stop and only a few blocks away, Cedar City Police officers located Burdan’s vehicle parked on Casa Loma Lane near 200 South. The address reportedly matched the one listed on the Altima’s registration, according to information in the probable cause statement filed Tuesday evening in support of Burdan’s arrest.
Police then set up a perimeter containment, blocking access to all roads and intersections in the immediate area. At least 15 law enforcement vehicles were observed at the scene, in addition to a couple of ambulances.
The SWAT team was paged just after 3 p.m. After obtaining a warrant, they subsequently searched the residence in question and surrounding outbuildings but did not locate Burdan during that initial search.
Then, just before 5 p.m., SWAT officers located Burdan hiding in the foliage of a nearby wooded ravine.
Burdan was subsequently booked into Iron County Jail where he faces a charge of failure to stop or respond to police commands, a third-degree felony. Additional charges are pending, the statement from the sheriff’s office said.
Burdan reportedly has a history of violence and has a multi-state criminal record, according to the information provided in the probable cause statement.
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Law enforcement vehicles line the street of Casa Loma Lane while officers conduct a search for a fleeing suspect, Cedar City, Utah, March 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Law enforcement vehicles line the street of Casa Loma Lane while officers conduct a search for a fleeing suspect, Cedar City, Utah, March 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Law enforcement vehicles line the street of Casa Loma Lane while officers conduct a search for a fleeing suspect, Cedar City, Utah, March 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Law enforcement vehicles line the street of Casa Loma Lane while officers conduct a search for a fleeing suspect, Cedar City, Utah, March 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Law enforcement vehicles line the street of Casa Loma Lane while officers conduct a search for a fleeing suspect, Cedar City, Utah, March 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News Law enforcement vehicles line the street of Casa Loma Lane while officers conduct a search for a fleeing suspect, Cedar City, Utah, March 10, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News
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