Man in custody after firing at officers during standoff in Oakdale
OAKDALE, Minn. — A man is in custody after police say he fired gunshots at officers and barricaded himself in a home overnight.
Oakdale police say a 911 call came in just before 10 p.m. Monday. A caller reported a man who had made threats to a woman in the past was with her now and possibly had a gun.
Police say they later saw a car with the man and woman inside, but when they tried to stop it the driver fled to a nearby home.
READ MORE: Shooting at St. Paul apartment building prompts heavy police response, but officers find no suspect
At the home, police say the man got out of the car and started shooting at the officers. At least one Oakdale police officer shot back before the man barricaded himself inside the home. Police say officers were not able to retreat safely.
SWAT teams from St. Paul police, Washington and Ramsey counties, and other agencies quickly arrived to provide support.
After hours of attempted contact, the man surrendered just after 12:30 a.m.
The neighborhood was briefly evacuated when a bullet struck a gas meter at a nearby home.
"Why does it continue to occur?"
After three first responders were shot and killed in Burnsville during a standoff, Oakdale Police Chief Nick Newton said tensions were especially high.
"Very disheartening to see this happen to our police officers," Newton said. "They're there to help someone involved in a domestic situation, and you know, they were confronted with a person who pointed a firearm at them and started shooting rounds at them."
Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry says his deputies and SWAT support raced to the scene to help.
"You can't get there fast enough," Starry said. "Those officers are in harm's way and you want to get them out of there as soon as you can."
Stillwater Police Chief Brian Muller and his officers were also there to help.
"My first thoughts are for the welfare of my officers and the officers that are on scene," Muller said. "Lives were at risk. The public's lives were at risk, officers' lives were at risk."
While specifics in this situation are still unknown, both Starry and Muller point to state crime data that shows assaults on law enforcement are up from about 400 to 900 over five years.
During that time frame, incidents of people shooting at law enforcement members were up six times, and two officers were killed.
"Why does it continue to occur? It shouldn't get to that point ever, but we're starting to see that," Starry said. "The assault on law enforcement over the last few years has certainly increased and we continue to see that."
No one involved was hurt. Oakdale police say they've responded to other calls at that same house before last night.
