PROVO, Utah – Police were searching for a man who fled from police, was believed to be carrying a handgun and has a history of assaulting police officers Friday night, but they announced Saturday evening the man had been captured after citizens who heard about the search on the evening news reported the man’s location to police.
Deputies with Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office were involved in a vehicle pursuit with 28-year-old Colby Dean Bronson Friday afternoon, and the suspect evaded police and had last been seen in the Sundance area of Provo Canyon.
According to a press release from Utah County Sheriff’s Office, Bronson was wanted for vehicle theft and evading law enforcement. The man is a convicted felon who was recently released from prison and who has fled from police in the past. The man is known to carry weapons, and police said they believed he was carrying a semi-automatic handgun.
Police asked anyone who observed Bronson to call 911 immediately. In a press release from the Heber City Police Department, officials stated Bronson was found Saturday within a 3-mile radius of where he had last been seen. They said the man was found, “with the assistance of watchful citizens in the area, who communicated to law enforcement, Bronson’s location, after viewing the previous evening news coverage.”
Heber City Police Chief Dave Booth stated in the press release, “This is a great example of what law enforcement and citizens can accomplish when working together.”
Personnel from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, the Utah Division of Natural Resources, Wasatch County Sheriff’s Office, Heber City Police Department, Provo Police Department and the Utah Department of Public Safety helped search for the man.
The stolen vehicle was recovered in the area above Sundance Resort.
According to the press release, Bronson was booked into jail on the following charges: motor vehicle theft as a second-degree felony, fleeing as a third-degree felony, co-habitat abuse as a class B misdemeanor, theft as a class B misdemeanor, two counts of fraudulent use of credit card as class B misdemeanors, and a count of vehicular burglary as a class A misdemeanor.
