Taser used to capture man who allegedly rammed deputy’s squad car, fled

The St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office says a taser was used to detain a man who allegedly rammed a deputy’s squad car with a truck, fled, and then approached a deputy with a screwdriver after his truck was disabled.

The incident began just after midnight Friday morning when a deputy attempted to stop a truck for suspicious behavior on Wahlsten Road in Kugler Township, between Embarrass and Tower.

A news release says the truck stopped at first, but when the deputy opened his squad door and began giving verbal commands, the truck accelerated into reverse and rammed the squad.

The truck then fled. The deputy attempted to stop the truck using Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuvers but was unsuccessful.

Then, a Babbitt police officer deployed stop sticks on Highway 21 about two to three miles from where the chase began. The truck’s front tires were damaged but the truck continued for about another half-mile before stopping.

At that point, the sheriff’s office says the driver exited the truck holding a screwdriver as a weapon, and moved towards the deputy.

A news release says the deputy held the suspect at gunpoint and gave verbal commands to stop, but the man continued to move towards the deputy. The Babbitt officer then used a taser and the man fell into the ditch.

The sheriff’s office says the man continued to resist as law enforcement attempted to put handcuffs on him, allegedly grabbing the deputy’s gun belt. The suspect was secured after additional law enforcement arrived on the scene.

"Although deadly force options were justified numerous times during the incident with this suspect, the two law enforcement officers chose less lethal tactics and options which resulted in a successful end to the incident," a news release from the St. Louis County Sheriff’s Office said.

The news release said the deputy received medical treatment for an injury to his hand and the police officer received a face injury from receiving a head butt from the suspect.

The suspect was also medically treated for no specific injury and was booked into the St. Louis County Jail after being released from a hospital.

The sheriff’s office says the 47-year-old suspect had an active arrest warrant out of Wisconsin and had been monitoring law enforcement communications using an iPhone.

He now faces six potential felony charges including second- and fourth-degree assault, fleeing in a motor vehicle, and use of a police radio during the commission of a crime, as well as a gross misdemeanor for obstructing with force and several misdemeanor counts.