Man Faces Multiple Assault Charges After Three Separate Incidents in Less Than Three Hours

At around 5:00 a.m. on Saturday, Missoula police officers responded to the report of a male who had been standing in the middle of the street with a baton. It was reported that the male used the baton to smash out the driver side window of a yellow cab. The driver drove to another location before he called police. By the time the officers arrived, the suspect male had left the area. Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh explains.

“Based on the description, the officers believed that 25-year-old Tristian McVey could be a possible suspect,” Welsh said. “At about 6:20 that morning, officers were called to the homeless shelter located in the 1100 block of West Broadway for a male who had come to the facility and demanded entry, despite having been trespassed in the past. He was identified as 25-year-old Tristian McVey.”

Once McVey was inside, he began throwing things around and attempted to assault an employee who told him to leave. McVey was escorted out of the building and he left the area before officers arrived.

“At about 7:56 later that morning, officers responded back to the homeless shelter because they called 9-1-1 to report that McVey had returned,” Welsh said. “He was located between two nearby buildings and was taken into custody. At that time, officers learned about another assault. McVey had poured coffee on another victim, threw a cup at his face, and spit at him.”

McVey also tried to strike the victim with the same baton he allegedly used on the yellow cab earlier. McVey was eventually transported to the Missoula County Detention Center where he is currently being held for two counts of assault with a weapon.