There is a certain irony in the driver of an electric vehicle tossing trash onto the ground. That small act, police say, set off a chain of events Tuesday in Maricopa that ended with officers drawing their guns and taking a man into custody.

Just before noon, Maricopa police arrested Kesaih Hetlage, 24, after a confrontation outside an insurance office on North Maricopa Road. 

According to a probable cause statement filed in Western Pinal Justice Court, the incident began when insurance agent Christopher Cahall saw Hetlage throw cigarette wrappers out of his gray Tesla. Cahall picked up the trash, tossed it back into the car and told Hetlage to “watch your trash.”  

That remark sparked an argument, according to the police document.

During the exchange, Hetlage allegedly asked Cahall if he “wanted to die,” then stepped out of the car holding a knife. Cahall said he tried to defuse the situation, but Hetlage spit in his face and made more murder threats. Cahall responded by shoving Hetlage into the Tesla before retreating inside his office, according to the report.

Hetlage drove off but soon returned, this time wearing a red balaclava. He entered the business lobby, yelling for Cahall to come outside while keeping one hand near his waistband, according to police. Two more office staffers, Julie Frye and Verner Holland, are identified as victims in police documents.

A bystander eventually intervened, and Hetlage removed the mask, got back into his Tesla and tried to leave, said authorities. By this point, Maricopa police arrived, boxed in Hetlage’s car and ordered him out at gunpoint. He was taken into custody without incident. 

Hetlage was booked into the Pinal County jail on charges of aggravated assault, threatening and intimidating, and disorderly conduct. If convicted of all of those charges, he faces up to 30 years in a state prison.

A search of court records showed no violent history for Heltage. In 2021, he pleaded guilty to felony marijuana sales.  

In addition to being a well-known insurance agent, Cahall is on the board of the Maricopa Police Foundation, a nonprofit that supports local law enforcement. InMaricopa reached out to Cahall, who responded with a copy of his victim’s request for pre-adjudication rights.