Officer Action Stops Armed Suspect

Published on April 06, 2026

At approximately 6:30 this evening, a family dispute escalated into an incident involving a weapon and a vehicle pursuit resulting in the arrest of a 21-year-old Caldwell man. Officers responded to a residence on Bridgeport after family members called 911, reporting their adult son was physically attacking his father. The reporting party told dispatch that the suspect, identified as Elijah Zufelt, was acting in an extremely aggressive manner, possibly having a mental health crisis, and had just fled the scene in a vehicle. 

A short time later, Zufelt returned to the residence and reportedly threatened his father with a knife. Upon arrival, a CPD Officer observed Zufelt in a vehicle ramming multiple parked vehicles at the residence. Zufelt then aggressively drove his vehicle onto the front lawn, where multiple individuals, including his father, were standing. 

Due to the immediate threat of great bodily injury or death, our Officer quickly maneuvered his vehicle to place himself in harm's way by using his patrol car to block Zufelt’s vehicle from intentionally striking his family members, who were frantically trying to avoid him on foot. Zufelt’s vehicle subsequently collided with the officer’s vehicle and then fled at a high rate of speed.

Our officer initiated a vehicle pursuit that traveled on city streets for approximately a half of a mile before coming to an end when Zufelt’s vehicle became inoperable due to damage caused by the collisions. Zufelt surrendered to officers without further incident and was taken into custody near Marble Front Road and Mason Road. 

Zufelt was transported to a local hospital for evaluation, and the victims were also assessed by medical personnel at the scene. Zufelt is facing the following charges: felony eluding, aggravated assault, DUI, and resisting and obstructing.

“This is not how Easter Sunday should have ended for the Zufelt family. As a father, this incident pains me, and my heart goes out to the entire family. Fortunately, no one, including Elijah, was seriously injured. These types of incidents can turn deadly very quickly, and I am so proud of our brave officer(s) who responded and literally placed themselves between a moving vehicle to save lives, before engaging in a high-speed pursuit. Our officers are simply the best, and I cannot underscore the importance of reverence for human life and that our officers do everything they can to de-escalate violent situations like this, every day. I am honored to lead our brave men and women who are willing to selflessly sacrifice their own safety for strangers,” said Rex Ingram, Caldwell Chief of Police.