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The Washington County Critical Incident Task Force is investigating a Wednesday night episode when a Hurricane police officer shot at a man who was backing a car toward him and a fellow officer.

The suspect was not hit by the bullets, but five rounds struck the vehicle.

He was taken into custody after a struggle with officers a short time later, said Hurricane police Sgt. Brandon Buell.

The incident began shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday when officers responded to a 911 call reporting a trespasser in Hurricane.

The suspect, identified as 21-year-old Laithon Dallas Webb, had left when police arrived, but they spotted him soon after and he sped away when officers attempted to stop him, Buell said.

Police lost sight of the vehicle and terminated the pursuit. But officers soon found the vehicle parked near the back of a home in La Verkin.

As officers walked up the driveway toward the car, Webb ran to the vehicle, got in and began backing toward two officers standing behind it.

A preliminary investigation by the task force indicates that one officer fired four shots at Webb's vehicle, which then began pulling forward as the same officer fired three more shots.

Webb then exited the vehicle and fled on foot. The same officer who had shot at the vehicle helped arrest Webb, police said.

Webb suffered minor injuries from running into a barb-wire fence while fleeing from the officers, but was otherwise unharmed, police said.

Both Webb and the officer who fired at him were taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for treatment of minor injuries before being released.

The officer was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the shooting investigation.

Webb was booked into the Washington County Jail, where he was being held without bail Thursday on numerous warrants and suspicion of charges ranging from assault, assault on a police officer, fleeing police, resisting arrest, trespassing, vehicle theft, reckless driving, and driving on a suspended license.

Police late Thursday continued to look for a second person, believed to have bailed out of the car at some point.

Twitter: @remims