Woman who pointed BB gun at police during standoff pleads guilty, will serve 101 days in jail
A woman who pointed a BB gun at police during a standoff in March pleaded guilty and was sentenced on Tuesday.
Court records show that Amanda Lindsey Nelson, 34, pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree assault and one count of fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle. A second count of second-degree assault was dismissed.
Nelson was also sentenced to serve 101 days in Carver County Jail.
For the assault charge, she was was sentenced to 27 months in prison, which will be stayed for the duration of her five-year probation. She was also sentenced to serve 240 days in jail, but had credit for 139 days already served.
She also received a lesser sentence for the fleeing charge, but the two sentences will be served at the same time.
As previously reported, Nelson led police on a car chase in Carver County on March 26.
A South Lake Minnetonka officer ran a license plate on a vehicle in Excelsior and found that it was registered to Nelson, who had an active warrant out of Illinois for aggravated assault against a peace officer, resisting an officer, aggravated battery using a deadly weapon and domestic battery causing bodily harm. The officer tried to pull her over, but Nelson kept driving, leading to a pursuit.
RELATED: Charges: Suspect drew police gunfire after pointing BB gun out window during pursuit
After several PIT maneuvers, Nelson’s vehicle spun out and she drove into the parking lot of a business in Excelsior. Officers performed another PIT maneuver, causing the vehicle to spin out.
According to court documents, as the car was spinning, Nelson pointed what appeared to be a handgun at the officer through the window.
A second officer performed another PIT maneuver on the vehicle, causing Nelson’s vehicle to spin and face him. As the officer tried to get out of his car to arrest Nelson, she began driving towards him.
As he got back into his squad, Nelson pointed a BB gun at the officer, but the officer thought it was a real gun. The officer fired five shots at her through the squad.
Nelson drove away, but officers performed another PIT maneuver on the vehicle, causing it to roll over. She was eventually arrested after a four-and-a-half-hour standoff.