BRIGHAM CITY, Utah — A 45-year-old man was arrested early Sunday after police say he barricaded himself inside a home, turned on the gas, and threatened to blow up the residence, prompting neighborhood evacuations.
According to the Brigham City Police Department, Jeremy Ruben Perea was taken into custody at about 1 a.m. Sunday following a standoff with the department’s SWAT team, negotiators, and detectives. Perea was booked into the Box Elder County Jail on suspicion of aggravated assault with a domestic violence enhancement. He is being held without bail.
The incident began Saturday at approximately 7:45 p.m. when a woman called the Weber Dispatch Center to report that her boyfriend was threatening to detonate the house.
The victim told police that the man had been drinking heavily and instructed her to get their dogs out of the house so he could blow it up. He then turned on the gas in an attempt to fill the residence and barricaded himself inside, according to a media release.
Authorities were able to successfully shut off the gas supply to the home. As a precaution during the standoff, neighboring homes were evacuated, and displaced residents were directed to shelter at a nearby Latter-day Saint meetinghouse at 420 S. 800 West.
Police have not reported any injuries in connection with the incident.