Man accused of holding Alpine family hostage

ALPINE — A man accused of holding a family hostage in their own house, reportedly over a business deal gone bad, was arrested late Tuesday and booked into the Utah County Jail.

Tyler Archuleta, 37, of West Valley City, was booked into jail for investigation of two counts of aggravated burglary, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, two counts of aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, extortion, forgery, possession of burglary tools and two counts of terroristic threats.

Just after 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Lone Peak police responded to a house near 800 E. Cottonwood Circle on a report that a husband and wife had been taken hostage. Archuleta was armed with a handgun, said police spokesman Brian Gwilliam.

Police did not comment Wednesday whether Archuleta forced his way into the house or was initially allowed inside.

The couple's teenage daughter was also home at the time of the incident, but Archuleta was unaware she was there, Gwilliam said.

Both Archuleta and the homeowner were in the same line of work, Gwilliam said. Court documents show Archuleta had ties with Archuleta Trucking LLC. The Better Business Bureau in Utah lists Archuleta as the owner.

"There was some type of disagreement … One individual thought he was owed something, the other thought he did not," was all Gwilliam would release Wednesday about the alleged dispute.

While the situation was unfolding, someone in the house called 911 and left the phone line open so emergency dispatchers could hear what was happening, Gwilliam said.

The Utah County Metro SWAT team and Lone Peak officers responded to the house and were in the process of completely surrounding it when Archuleta led the husband and wife to their vehicle in the driveway just before 8:30 p.m., said Gwilliam.

The car was started and was backing out when the SWAT team moved into action.

"Things just happened so quickly," Gwilliam said. "The individual gave up as soon as he realized the situation he was in."

Fortunately, Gwilliam said, no one was injured in the incident.

"A lot of things fell into place. If one of them went awry, it could have turned out differently. We're very grateful it had a positive outcome," Gwilliam said.

e-mail: preavy@desnews.com