ST. GEORGE — Police responded to a bloody scene after a Washington City man struck another man in the head during an altercation Tuesday.

Just before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers responded to a report of a burglary on the 300 East block of Palo Verde Drive, where it was reported that a man, identified as 26-year-old David Joseph Diaz-Vega, was trying to break into the residence, according to a probable cause statement filed by Washington City Police in support of the arrest.

Officers further received a report that Diaz-Vega had assaulted another person, the report states. When officers arrived on scene, they found Diaz-Vega with blood on his pants, hands and nose. He reportedly refused to comment on what had happened.

When officers questioned the homeowner, she said she was in the process of evicting Diaz-Vega when an argument ensued, according to the report. When the homeowner’s friend tried to intervene, Diaz-Vega and the friend wound up in a physical altercation.

After the homeowner heard a “ding,” she saw pieces of a broken cooking pot and observed her friend bleeding profusely from the back of the head. She told police that Diaz-Vega had hit her friend in the back of the head with the pot, the arresting officer wrote in the sworn statement, adding:

I observed a large amount of blood on the front stairs and on the walls of the residence. I also saw broken pieces of the handle from the pot. The broken pieces appeared to be from the handle of the metal cooking pot. I later located the cooking pot in the street near David’s (Diaz-Vega) vehicle.

The officer tried to talk with the friend, who was reportedly severely intoxicated and stated that he had hit his head outside but didn’t specifically say Diaz-Vega hit him with the pot, the officer wrote, noting:

(The friend) had a large gash in the back of this head and it appeared to require staples or stitches. The gash was approximately 1-inch long by .5-inch wide.

However, the friend declined to be transported to the hospital for medical treatment, the report states.

Diaz-Vega was arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Diaz-Vega of class A misdemeanor assault causing substantial bodily injury.

Diaz-Vega appeared before 5th District Judge John Walton Wednesday for a court arraignment. As this report publishes, he remains in police custody.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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