Waite Park man arrested on 2nd-degree assault, accused of chasing 3 kids with machete

A Waite Park man has been arrested and charged stemming from an incident that happened Thursday night.

According to the city of Waite Park, officers arrived at the 200 block of Third Street at around 9:20 p.m. on a report of a man with a machete chasing kids in the courtyard. While police attempted to locate the suspect, dispatch advised them that a man on the phone was claiming someone pointed a gun at him at the same address.

Officers eventually located the suspect and spoke with him regarding the incident. The suspect claimed another man pulled out a gun and pointed it at his head.

Police spoke with everyone involved and determined that Matthew Arvid Olson, 28, had been in the courtyard over the past few days chopping at a tree with a machete. Thursday, Olson was reportedly chopping at the tree with a knife, stopped, looked at three kids playing, raised the knife and started to chase them.

One of the kids advised a parent of the situation, who then confronted Olson. While speaking with Olson, he reached into his pocket, making the parent afraid so he brandished a gun. The gun was never pointed at Olson, police said.

Olson was arrested for second-degree assault and transported to Stearns County Jail.