Mill Creek Canyon trailhead was temporarily closed on Wednesday as police searched for a Moab teen suspected of pointing a handgun at his brother.
The popular hiking and swimming area off Mill Creek Drive on Powerhouse Lane was closed on Wednesday afternoon as officers searched for a 17-year-old who has not been identified, the Moab City Police Department said on Thursday, June 27.
A police press release said the teen’s mother reported her son had allegedly “ransacked” his older brother’s room on June 25 and took camping gear and marijuana. The teen allegedly pointed a .38-caliber handgun at the older brother when he later located him in an abandoned van, police said.
The teen’s grandmother reported seeing him “riding a bike in the area of Mill Creek and Powerhouse Lane” on June 26. His bike was located at the Mill Creek Canyon trailhead. Officers and deputies then “immediately secured the area, restricting access into the canyon from multiple points of entry.” The access point to Mill Creek Canyon at Potato Salad Hill on Sand Flats Road was also temporarily closed.
Officers in plainclothes walked to the waterfall area in the canyon, about 0.8-mile from the trailhead, and arrested the teen “without further incident,” police said. The alleged handgun matching the description of the gun pointed at the older brother during what the press release called “the aggravated assault” was located in the teen’s backpack.
The Moab City Police Department called the Grand County Sheriff’s Office “instrumental in this investigation” and said the cooperation in this case “demonstrates continued dedication to providing public safety for residents and visitors of Moab City and Grand County.”
The teen is being held at a juvenile detention facility in Blanding, police chief Bret Edge said.
Mill Creek Canyon trail is on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).
The BLM did not immediately comment on the incident.
17-year-old arrested after allegedly pointing handgun at older brother
