WYOMING – Back on May 31, 2018, WHP Trooper Josh Carris was involved in hand-to-hand combat with a suspect he had pulled over on I-80 just outside of Green River.
Both Carris and the suspect, a habitual felon with nothing to lose, had their hands on the Trooper’s sidearm when a truck driver named Darren Phillips drove by. He saw the two men locked in a struggle and decided to jump out and help.
“He’s going for my gun,” Carris shouted to the bystander. That’s all Phillips needed to hear. He immediately circled around behind the suspect and put him in a chokehold.
“They both had their hands on the trooper’s pistol. I just immediately thought, I need to get this guy off this trooper. That’s when my military training kicked in,” Phillips remembered.
It was a maneuver he learned in the military. Phillips served in the US Marines for 14 years, and then in the Army National Guard for an additional 12 years as a Black Hawk helicopter crew chief. He also did two tours in Iraq with the Black Hawk helicopter crew.
“I got behind the suspect, put my arm around his neck, stood up and fell back and got the guy in a choke hold,” Phillips said. “I made sure I didn’t let go.”
Carris and Trooper Chancey Duncan, who arrived on scene to assist, then apprehended the suspect—Dustin Roberts of McKinleyville, California.
“He saved my life,” Carris said of Phillips at an award ceremony yesterday in Cheyenne. “The suspect and I were fighting for my gun. Mr. Phillips stopped and assisted me and I’m grateful for his assistance.”
Phillips, of Taylorsville, Utah, received the Colonel’s Commendation Award for helping to subdue a suspect. Gov. Matt Mead, Wyoming Department of Transportation Director Bill Panos, WHP Col. Kebin Haller, and Trooper Carris attended the event to honor Phillips.
“You saved one person from sustaining severe injuries and you saved not only one life but possible two lives,” Haller said. “The suspect is a habitual convicted felon and we are forever in your debt.”
Panos and Mead also thanked Phillips for his heroic efforts.
“Thank you for the example you’ve set for the people of Wyoming,” Mead said. “Your decision to stop and lend assistance means you have saved lives.”
Panos agreed.
“For you to stop not knowing what the situation was and help is a remarkable reflection on you as a person,” Panos added. “We are honored that you offered your assistance to our family and helped someone in need.”
The incident occurred on May 31 near Green River after Carris stopped a vehicle on I-80 for a moving violation. After talking to the driver of the vehicle, Carris informed him that he suspected that the vehicle was involved in criminal activity.
Carris then deployed his drug detection K-9, Zoey, who alerted to the odor of illegal substances in the vehicle.
The driver attempted to flee and ran into traffic on I-80 after Carris tried to detain him. Carris risked him own safety and pulled the driver back out of the lane of travel. That’s when the driver fought with Carris and attempted to take the trooper’s service weapon.
“Mr. Phillips was driving a semi tractor-trailer and saw the altercation,” Haller said. “Mr. Phillips, a retired Marine, then stopped his vehicle to offer assistance and help Trooper Carris.”
