ST. GEORGE — A call to 911 with only an open line triggered an extensive response to a residence on 100 South. Numerous police officers and the SWAT team descended on a neighborhood early Wednesday morning, and authorities were left to piece together the events that took place just prior to the emergency call.
Just before 4 a.m., officers were dispatched to a residence just west of the St. George Library after the St. George Communications Center received a 911 call from an individual who never spoke to dispatchers but left the line open.
St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin told St. George News that during the call, emergency dispatch could hear a woman crying and begging a second individual to get medical attention before “they bleed out,” and then they heard a woman asking if she could leave.
“Since the caller never spoke to dispatch, they were left trying to figure out what was going on by listening to the commotion taking place in the background,” Atkin said.
As a result, multiple officers and the SWAT team were dispatched to the address where the call originated, and they staged in the parking lot of the library.
Gold Cross Ambulance was also dispatched to the staging area, and a negotiator was called in to assist.
While the SWAT team held back, Atkin said, the negotiator was able to coax the woman out of the residence safely. Once outside, officers learned the woman called 911 in an attempt to get medical help for a man who was refusing to go to the hospital.
Atkin said that while the man inside of the residence was injured, he informed police that he did not want to go to the hospital and was not in mortal danger, so no other actions were taken.
“We can’t make someone get medical attention if they refuse, which he had every right to do,” she said.
Once officers determined the woman was not in any danger, she returned to the residence a short while later.
Atkin went on to say the nature of the chaotic call that left the line open – which is typical in situations where there is a risk that someone is being held against their will or is in danger – is what prompted the department to deploy significant resources to handle the incident.
She also said it is a balancing act whenever there is a situation that involves a possible risk to public safety, which must be weighed against the risk of escalating an already volatile situation by having a battalion of officers deployed to an incident. In this case, however, she said they erred on the side of caution and the situation ended well thanks to the negotiator and the officers who held back until the situation could be resolved.
The incident was wrapped up by 6:30 a.m., and no arrests or injuries were reported.
This report is based on statements from police, emergency personnel or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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