Man arrested after firing gun at Beltrami County deputies

A man was arrested Thursday afternoon after he fired a pistol at deputies in Beltrami County.

The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office said deputies received a call at about 1:31 p.m. stating a person in the 17000 block of Highway 89 was displaying erratic behavior and was armed with a pistol. The person, who was a family member of the caller, then began firing the gun in and around the home while the caller was still talking to authorities.

Deputies arrived at the scene and found a man walking on Highway 89 near the home. According to the sheriff’s office, the man immediately confronted deputies, pointed the gun at them and fired it. Authorities also identified him as a person of interest in an earlier forced-entry of a home in the Wilton area where a gun and ammunition were taken. Threats were also made toward law enforcement, officials said.

More deputies arrived at the scene, established a perimeter and began negotiating with the man to surrender the gun. However, as they did so, the man would charge at them with the gun raised and fire in their direction, the sheriff’s office said. He’d then walk back toward his home, randomly firing the gun.

Then, the man confronted two deputies on the road. According to the sheriff’s office, one of the deputies was able to deploy a Taser at the subject to subdue him. He was then taken into custody just after 2 p.m.

No law enforcement officers fired a gun during the incident, the sheriff’s office reported.

The man was identified as 28-year-old Lukas R. Dudley, of Bemidji. He was arraigned in court on Friday for felony second-degree assault, reckless discharge of a firearm and misdemeanor obstruction of the legal process. He remained in jail Friday with bail set at $75,000 without conditions or $50,000 with conditions.

An investigation into the incident remains active.