Man Breaks a Car Window With a Knife in Missoula

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - On May 9, 2024, at approximately 9:50 PM, a Missoula Police Department officer was dispatched to the 4300 block of Expressway for a reported disturbance in progress. It was reported the suspect broke a car window with a knife and still had it.

Upon arriving, the officer observed a male, later identified as 28-year-old Chance Ehret, standing in the roadway with blood on his hands. Ehret dropped onto his knees in the roadway when he observed the patrol vehicle.

According to court documents, Ehret began to pull the knife that was on his person out of his pocket. The officer commanded Ehret to stop reaching in his pockets and Ehret threw the knife in front of him onto the ground.

Once detained, Ehret was moved to the front of the patrol vehicle so he could be evaluated by Fire/Medical personnel. Ehret was unwilling to let medical tend to his injuries and they were only able to place a 'loose bandage' on his hand.

Ehret Shares His Side of the Story

Ehret stated he came to Missoula to see his girlfriend, identified as Jane Doe. Ehret and Doe spent the night prior together at a local hotel. The next night, Ehret was at the incident address waiting for Doe to arrive. Doe arrived after approximately five hours with her “boyfriend,” J.W.

Court documents indicate Ehret was mad about this due to believing he is Doe's boyfriend. Ehret stated he broke the window of J.W.’s vehicle and told J.W. he was going to "f**k him up". Ehret claimed he had no intention of harming Doe when he did this.

At the conclusion of the interview, the officer asked Ehret if he would consent to a Portable Breath Test to determine his current intoxication level. Ehret consented to the PBT and recorded a .187 BAC.

J.W. Explains What Happened

An officer spoke to J.W. who stated Ehret "slashed" the side of his truck with a "metal object." He said he could not tell at first what the object was. Ehret then hit the window with the object causing it to shatter. J.W. now could tell the object was a knife.

The knife penetrated the window which caused J.W. to lean to his right side. Due to J.W. leaning away from Ehret, the knife came approximately "12 inches" from J.W.

J.W. then drew a firearm he keeps alongside the center console. J.W. held the firearm along his chest, pointing it in the direction of Ehret. J.W. then put his truck in reverse quickly and backed towards Expressway.

J.W., who was so shaken by the incident, drove to a nearby restaurant and vomited. During the incident, J.W. stated he was "terrified." J.W. stated he had an injury to his body from the shattered glass.

Ehret is currently being charged with felony assault with a weapon and criminal mischief. On May 10, 2024, Ehret made his initial appearance in Missoula Justice Court. According to the jail roster, Ehret’s bond was set at $100,000 for a felony probation violation.

The information in this article was obtained from sources that are publicly viewable.