St. Cloud man leads police on chase, threatens them with sword, knife

A St. Cloud man faces several charges after police say he led officers on a pursuit and threatened them with bladed weapons while on drugs.

According to the St. Cloud Police Department, around 6:19 p.m. Sunday, officers spotted a vehicle that was believed to be connected to a domestic assault that had happened in Becker earlier that day. The suspect would not pull over for a traffic stop, and officers chased after the vehicle.

The pursuit lasted for about 7 miles and ended in rural Sherburne County when the suspect slid into a ditch, police said.

Officers tried negotiating with the driver, but police say he "appeared to be under the influence of a controlled substance" and brandished a sword and a knife and threatened to harm police and himself with them. Eventually, officers broke a window in the suspect’s car and used pepper spray and pepper balls to subdue him.

Police were able to get the man out of the car around 8 p.m. without further incident. Police say he had superficial self-inflicted injuries.

One officer suffered minor injuries that didn’t require medical attention.

The suspect, identified as a 24-year-old man, was taken to St. Cloud Hospital for treatment. He will be booked on suspicion of domestic assault, fleeing in a motor vehicle, obstructing legal process and fourth-degree driving under the influence once he is released from the hospital.