By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today
A Cedar City man was arrested early Tuesday for aggravated assault after allegedly spraying two neighbors in the face with bear spray during a late-night confrontation at an apartment complex.
Cal Terry Tebbs, 39, was booked into the Iron County Jail on third-degree felony charges following an incident around 1 a.m. on June 11 at an apartment complex located at 111 S. 1400 West.
According to court documents, officers responded to the scene after a 911 caller reported being attacked with pepper spray by a neighbor living in Apartment #50. When police arrived, Tebbs came out of his apartment but said he refused to follow commands to come down the stairs and speak with them.
“I was able to approach Cal and place him in handcuffs for our safety,” the affidavit states. “I explained to Cal he was being detained and asked him to explain what happened.”
Tebbs told officers that people were banging on his door and that when he stepped outside to confront them, one of the men appeared to be reaching for a weapon. He claimed to have surveillance footage of the incident and allowed officers to view it on his phone.
But the officer said the video told a different story.
“Cal exited his apartment building and immediately sprays (sic) both of the males directly in the face with bear spray,” court documents state. “I did not observe either one of the subjects attempt to reach for anything.”
After being read his Miranda rights, Tebbs agreed to speak with officers. When asked what the weapon looked like, he said he didn’t see what it looked like — only that one of the men was reaching into his pocket, which he perceived as a threat.
Tebbs said there had been people banging on both his front door and a shared wall, and that he went outside to confront the two men outside his apartment. Tebbs claimed one of the men appeared to be reaching for a weapon, though he said he hadn’t seen what the weapon looked like.
But according to the affidavit, surveillance footage showed the two men just walking up the stairs when Tebbs came out and sprayed them. The officer told Tebbs that, based on the timing, the two individuals could not have been the ones making noise at his door.
“I explained to Cal that the two males walking up the stairs could not have been the ones banging on his door if he immediately went outside to confront them due to the fact they were just coming up the stairs,” the affidavit states.
Inside the apartment, officers recovered the canister of bear spray Tebbs admitted to using. Both victims were treated at the scene by medical personnel, and fire crews were dispatched to wash the chemical from the building’s handrails.
Officers noted that Tebbs has made multiple complaints about his neighbors in recent weeks, including one instance in which he claimed a neighbor pointed a gun at him. While reviewing video of that earlier incident, officers said they did see a neighbor pull a firearm “from their waistband before looking at the side of the gun and going back into their apartment,” but added that Tebbs also requested police stay on scene while he took out the trash that same day, citing fears for his safety.
Officers requested that Tebbs be held without bail, citing concerns that he poses a danger to himself and others due to what they described as “paranoia and irrational behavior,” according to the affidavit.