Neighbors recount tense moments during SWAT standoff, house fire in St. George

ST GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — Neighbors recount moments leading up to a SWAT standoff with a barricaded suspect in a St. George neighborhood.

“The dogs start acting funny at the door. So, I get up and go look to see what’s going on. And I see two officers with rifles drawn, facing that way. Then I started hearing shots fired. And I see SWAT coming up this way. And that’s when I kind of just hid,” Kristian Delarra, one of the neighbors who had to be escorted out of her house during the incident, told ABC4.com.

The St. George Police Department (SGPD) said they initially responded to a family dispute call at 3000 E. Seegmiller Dr. They added that once officers arrived on scene, they were fired at by the suspect, now identified as 41-year-old Benjamin Hansen. SGPD said they had to fire their weapons in response.

Hansen is arrested and facing four counts of second-degree felony attempted aggravated murder, one count of third-degree felony discharge of a firearm, and misdemeanor criminal recklessly endangering human life, possession of a dangerous weapon with criminal intent, and carrying a dangerous weapon while under the influence.

Police say a house fire broke out concurrently, and its cause is under investigation by the St. George Fire Department and Critical Incident Task Force investigators.

Delarra said she spent an hour lying on the floor in her home until police rushed her out.

“They kept me covered and had me hop over the wall and ran up into the armored personnel carrier,” she recounted. Multiple shots hit and went through the Delarra home.

Delarra’s son, Austin, was at work and didn’t realize how serious it was until he returned home from work and saw the SWAT truck leaving the neighborhood.

Suspect charged previously

“Part of me wasn’t surprised that this kind of a thing went down… It was a matter of time,” another neighbor who wanted to remain anonymous told ABC4.

Hansen had a history with criminal cases, including a protective order against him in 2020 and an arrest in 2024.

While Hansen was taken into custody and is currently detained, SGPD detectives are continuing to conduct their investigation by “actively conducting interviews with witnesses, gathering evidence, and reviewing any available surveillance footage from the area.”

SGPD said no one, including neighbors or officers, was injured during this incident.

Citizen Alert App

St George Police Department (SGPD) also encouraged Washington County residents to sign up for citizen alerts at 911register.com. There, they can receive updates on critical situations through text, phone, email, or an app.

The alerts are also location-based, so residents can register their home, work, and other important locations to receive live updates on nearby situations like severe weather, flooding, and more.