Felony charges pile up for driver arrested following high-speed crash on Brigham Road

St. George Police vehicle. | File photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A 29-year-old St. George was arrested over the weekend after he allegedly admitted to running his vehicle into a Tesla at more than 70 mph on purpose, police say.

2020 file photo for illustrative purposes only of traffic along Brigham Road following incident at the intersection of E. Brigham Road and River Road, St. George, Utah, Feb. 3, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

Following the crash reported Saturday morning, Jordan Beck, 29, was charged with second-degree felony aggravated assault, as well as three misdemeanor charges that include negligently operating a vehicle resulting in injury, reckless driving and for not having insurance on the vehicle.

He also will face an additional felony charge following a brawl with a deputy at the jail in Washington County.

He is scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Wednesday and he remains in custody at this time.

The charges stem from a crash at the intersection of Brigham Road and River Road involving a black Nissan and a white Tesla shortly before 7:30 a.m. Saturday in St. George.

While en route, responding officers were advised that one of the drivers had been transported to the hospital by ambulance to be treated for his injuries and due to his “behavior,” according to charging documents filed with the court.

At the scene, officers spoke to two witnesses who said just prior to the collision, they watched as the driver of the Nissan was driving in the center lane at nearly 100 mph, reportedly cutting off other motorists and using the center turn lane to pass other vehicles, including one vehicle that was nearly struck head-on by the suspect.

Meanwhile, the Tesla was also heading north ahead of the Nissan and slowed as the driver approached the intersection of Brigham and River Road where the light had turned red.

The Tesla was then struck from behind by the Nissan that witnesses said “was traveling too fast,” and bystanders also said it did not appear that the Nissan driver ever applied the brakes, nor did he appear to slow prior to impact.

The driver of the Tesla told police at the scene he could see the Nissan approaching from behind in his rear-view mirror and estimated the suspect’s speed at roughly 70 mph. He was later transported to St. George Regional Hospital by a family member for a possible neck injury.

Officers responded to the hospital to follow up with Beck, who was the driver of the Nissan, and according to the report, the suspect said the crash was intentional.

Beck told officers he was “driving fast to let out some steam,” and when he noticed the Tesla, he wanted to “hit it and stop bad guys.”

When asked, the suspect said he was taking several over-the-counter medications and supplements that police say can cause sleepiness “to the point of impairment while driving,” the officer noted.

Based on the suspect’s statements that he intended to hit the Tesla, along with the two corroborating witness statements provided to police, Beck was arrested as soon as he was cleared at the hospital and was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility for booking.

Early Sunday morning, deputies at the jail discovered flooding coming from the suspect’s cell, which the corrections staff suspected was caused by Beck “actively flooding his cell with water from his toilet.”

When one of the deputies entered the suspect’s cell to collect a wet blanket, the suspect reportedly approached the deputy in “an aggressive manner,” and despite multiple orders to stay back, the suspect reportedly struck the deputy in the chest.

When the deputy exited, Beck reportedly pushed against the cell door before the deputy was able to close it, and then the suspect punched the deputy in the face and ran out of the cell. Seconds later, a second deputy approached and took the suspect to the ground.

From there, the deputy noted, “Beck was evaluated by medical and then moved to another housing unit.”

No prior cases or charges filed against the suspect were found during a review of court records.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders 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, 2023, all rights reserved.

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