Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
- A man was arrested for investigation of attempted murder after police say he chased teens with a truck.
- The suspect, David Earl Holden, reportedly threatened the teens and threw rocks.
- Police are seeking additional witnesses and video evidence of the incident.
PRICE — A man was booked for investigation of attempted murder after police said he threatened children and tried to run them over with his truck at a city park.
The chain of events began before 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Dino Mine Park, 1050 E. 7th North. One of the teens told KSL-TV he tried to defend himself by throwing rocks back at the man, striking him once in the face.
That teen, 15-year-old Teegan Robinson, said the man — who was later identified as 57-year-old David Earl Holden — first approached one of his friends in that teen's car in the park's parking lot.
"(My friend) was sitting there eating with his girlfriend, and he started his car," Teegan said. "So, the guy came up, and he was getting all mad at him, and he spat on his window."
Teegan said he and some other friends went back to talk to Holden about what happened.
"He just hopped in his truck and started driving all over the parking lot trying to hit us," he said. "He drove up on top of the grass and actually clipped my friend in the hip, and that's when I grabbed the rocks and started throwing them at his truck and stuff because he was sitting there trying to run me over."
According to Teegan, Holden then got out of his truck, reached for a knife, and then put it back and instead grabbed rocks and started throwing them at the teens.
"I threw a rock at him, and I missed," Teegan said. "He started running after me, so I grabbed a flat rock and hucked it at his head, and I hit him in the head."
Teegan said he and his friends tried to leave the parking lot, but Holden blocked the entrance and started throwing rocks at their car. He said the man then followed the teens in his truck and nearly hit two other cars as the teens made their escape.
"I think that everybody who is talking about it locally is like, 'What in the world?'" Teegan's mother, Lynnae Robinson, said. "It's wild, honestly."
According to jail documents, Price police officers were eventually called to the McDonald's on 409 E. Main Street after a report of a man who was bleeding from the face threatening another man with a knife.
The documents stated that a Carbon County sheriff's deputy told a Price police officer that a teen had called and reported the chain of events at the park. When the officer spoke to the teen, the teen's description of the man at the park matched Holden's appearance at the McDonald's.
Holden was booked into the Carbon County Jail for investigation of attempted murder, threat/use of a dangerous weapon in a fight, reckless driving and threats of violence.
Price city staff said video from a camera at the park appeared to show a car driving erratically and trying to run over children.
According to documents, Holden threatened to kill the Price officer who took him to jail and said if he was ever released, he would find a gun and become the "next mass shooter."
Price Police Capt. Brandon Ratcliffe told KSL-TV the situation very easily could have had a worse outcome, and officers were grateful it did not.
Meanwhile, Lynnae Robinson is just grateful the children managed to escape the ordeal.
"It's terrifying," she said. "All of (the teens) really stepped up, and for being so young they really — they did a good job."
Ratcliffe said investigators were still seeking additional witnesses and video sources of what happened. Anyone with information should contact the Price City Police Department at 435-636-3190 or dispatch at 435-637-0890.
