Man Smashes a Car Window and Throws a Rock at a Patrol Car

At around 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, Missoula Police Officers were called to the report of a male who smashed out a car window at the Eastgate shopping center. Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh explains.

“The first officer arrived and found the vehicle that was damaged,” Welsh said. “When he looked inside, he found the male who matched the description given laying in the backseat. He made contact with the male and asked him to identify himself. The officer was able to identify him as 34-year-old Matthew Higgins.”

The officer asked Higgins to exit the vehicle. Higgins responded by quickly sitting up and lunging forward toward the officer. The officer observed Higgins to be agitated and animated, and instructed him to sit back down in the vehicle.

“Higgins reached down and grabbed a rock off the floorboard of the car that he was in, threw it through the back window, and struck the patrol car sitting behind it,” Welsh said. “Higgins then refused to cooperate with the officer and began fighting with him and a backup officer that soon arrived. The male was tased, placed in handcuffs, and transported to the Missoula County Detention Center.”

After the arrest, the officer observed dents in the hood of his patrol vehicle caused by the rock Higgins has just thrown. An MPD Detective collected estimates to repair both the original vehicle and patrol vehicle, which totaled an amount greater than $1,500.

As a result, Higgins was charged with one count of felony criminal mischief and resisting arrest.