ST. GEORGE — What started with a routine traffic stop on a vehicle with a headlight out ended with an arrest on the driver for assaulting a police officer Saturday night in St. George.
Stavontae Tareece Gilliard, 24, of Oregon, was pulled over for the headlight violation at about 11 p.m. on River Road and did not have a driver’s license or proof of insurance, according to police. Gilliard said he didn’t have his license or insurance card because his wallet was recently stolen, so the responding officer called his insurance company, who said his insurance was canceled months ago.
When the St. George Police officer told Gilliard that his vehicle was going to be impounded for not having insurance, Gilliard refused to get out of the vehicle, according to the probable cause statement. He then allegedly put the car into gear as the officer told him he was under arrest and asked him to exit the car.
That’s when Gilliard started driving away, the statement says. As the vehicle started to roll away, the rear driver side wheel ran over another police officer’s foot, causing him to fall to the ground.
The first police officer reached into the driver’s side window and tried to place his hands on Gilliard’s hands to prevent him from driving away.
“As the vehicle was moving, I tried to keep my right arm on Stavontae, and with my left hand, I reached around the steering wheel to turn off the car,” wrote the responding officer on the probable cause statement. “When the vehicle was moving, I had to lift my legs off the ground and keep my body in the vehicle.”
Gilliard allegedly drove about 20 mph with the officer sticking out of his window. Each time the officer’s feet dropped to the ground, he became worried his legs would get caught under the car.
“I knew at the time I could not release the vehicle because I felt I would be seriously injured,” the responding officer wrote.
The police officer was able to reach around to the key and turn off the car, but Gilliard turned it back on. The officer was then able to turn off the car by turning the key again and open the driver side door, according to the probable cause statement. Gilliard was able to drive about 450 feet before his vehicle was stopped for the last time.
Gilliard began reaching for the passenger side, so the officer wrapped his arms around him to prevent him from grabbing anything or driving off again.
The officer who had his foot run over used a stun gun on Gilliard, which allowed the officers to pull him from the car and onto the street. He allegedly continued to push back against the officers and refused to put his arms behind his back so he could be arrested. It took another shock from the stun gun before officers were able to grab his arms and place him in handcuffs, according to the probable cause statement.
Gilliard was then taken to Purgatory Correctional Facility and was charged with a second-degree felony for assaulting a police officer, as well as misdemeanors for failing to stop at an officer’s command and interfering with arrest. There were also citations against him for not having a driver’s license, operating a vehicle without insurance and for having a headlight out.
St. George Police officer Lona Trombley said both officers “are doing well” after the arrest.
This report is based on statements from police 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.
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGnews | @SpencerRicks
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.
Sometimes you really have to wonder how a person was even intelligent enough to obtain a motor vehicle in the first place.
One of Bammie’s boys?
“Bammie’s boys,” I don’t get it. What does that mean? I looked it up online but don’t get the reference.
This is medssedupmans way of saying anyone that is associated with Obama,
because the perp is black, I am surprised that messedupman isn’t reciting the good ole boys book
like he normally does, a perfect example of a local moron that abides by selective christianity.
So this is a racist comment? Did the forum moderator allow this? If so I wonder if they allow other racist comments. I will contact them and have them review this.
welcome to Southern Utah, some of these boys wish they were from the land of real Dixie
There is no moderation of comments on these articles, and thus we have a lot of idiots commenting. Shame on you, St. George News!
Welcome to Utah….enjoy your stay
And the whole time this was going down Stavontae was squealing “black lives matta! black livesss matttaaaa!”. Clearly a case of white police brutality against an innocent young black honor student.
Racist and a bigot… who knew
comments ! Lookie who was there! You heard his quotes “black lives matta! black livesss matttaaaa!”
oh yeah, hahaha 😉
Name Stavontae Tareece Gilliard
Location Fort Collins, CO
Booking Date 03-25-2017
Booking Charges
76-6-106(2)(C){DV} DV-CRIMINAL MISCHIEF-LESS $500
76-5-102{DV} DV-ASSAULT-SIMPLE
Wonder if he was on some type of probation? Regardless, looks like he is touring the west and checking out all the police stations for his thesis on policing and attempts to go viral with a youtube video of resisting arrest. Edjumacated on the Street of Hard Knocks. This all started when his mom started him off on the wrong foot with that crazy name.
This sounds like one of the hardest take down arrests EVER in WACO… I certainly can’t remember a tougher one. Thankfully the officers weren’t injured badly. What a crazy arrest. He sounds like one of those nutty Sovereign Citizens who dont “drive” they “travel” and hence dont need documentation or insurance. Often when they refuse to give ID they roll up their windows and cops have to break them for the arrest. Lots of videos of that but not so much here. Wonder what this guy with no wallet, no headlight and no insurance is doing is So. Utah.
Maybe part of an advance team that has come to Utah to help show us the need to legalize marijuana, so that those visiting from Oregon and California and Colorado and Washington etc etc will be able to be able to stay “comfortably numb ” while traveling in incognito is a possibility.
Not finding any arrests drug related, but seems like pot would mellow him down a bit, but so far now he’s been violent in two States. Maybe the mean streets are the ones he happens to be on at the moment.
Just after midnight on June 10, 2015, Deputy Arant
checked on a parked car about two miles west
of Childress on U.S. 287. The car was found to
be stolen out of Casper, Wyo. Childress Police
Officer T. Gambol was called for assistance and
the driver, Stavontae Gillard, 21, of Casper was
arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.
The passenger, Deon Chappell, 23, of Valdosta,
Ga., was arrested for tampering with evidence
and possession of less than two ounces of marijuana
after marijuana was found on the ground
next to the passenger door Mr. Chappell had
momentarily opened and then closed.
This out of a news clip pdf from Oregon. OOPSy
Where is Al Sharpton and the other BLM racists?
How would it be to be in Law Enforcement and have to deal with these types of situations and perpetrators all day long? Think about it people! Our Men and Women of law enforcement do not make enough money and are not showed the kind of respect necessary to them, unless that trend changes we will have a harder time keeping good quality people in that profession. Please show them some respect, and thank them for a job well done.