Officer shot in White Bear Lake; 33-year-old man taken into custody
WHITE BEAR LAKE, Minn. -- An officer was shot overnight, and people in the surrounding neighborhood were evacuated from their homes.
Officers responded to the Lakewood Hills Apartments on Karth Road at around 10 p.m. They say that the suspect shot the officer three times in the midsection. He was taken to the hospital. The officer was not named but was described as a "veteran officer from the White Bear Lake Police Department."
Police were eventually able to arrest the suspect, but only after several hours of attempts to get him to leave the apartment. He was described as a 33-year-old man being held on suspicion of domestic assault, threats of violence and attempted murder. He has two previous convictions for misdemeanor domestic assault, according to records. He is currently being held at the Ramsey County Law Enforcement Center.
This was at least the second time they've arrested this same person at this same place for the same thing.
Criminal records show the suspect had previously been civilly committed, most recently in May 2022, when a Ramsey County judge suspended a criminal case pending against the man. In the complaint connected with a March 2021 incident, the suspect allegedly threatened to shoot his arresting officer, and arrange to have the officer's children assaulted. The complaint says that officer indicated concerns for his safety and the safety of others.
Residents were evacuated and waited in buses nearby for at least several hours as police worked to secure the roughly four-acre property and make the arrest. They were let back into their homes at just before 3 a.m.
Police said there is no threat to the public.
The officer was taken to the hospital and they should recover. At last check, WCCO learned the officer's vital signs are steady, not changing much and the injuries required surgery. Police said the officer was in surgery at 1:45 a.m. The officer is expected to recover.
According to Lakewood Hills Apartments website, the property is a part of the Minnesota Crime Free Multi-Housing Program, where property owners and tenants have to complete several phases of training before becoming a member. The program aims to prevent crime and drug activity from happening on the property.
What is civil commitment?
A civil commitment doesn't necessarily mean being confined somewhere. There are less restrictive options of getting the person help.
"If they appear to be a danger to themself or others because of their mental health status, they could go through a civil commitment process," said Joe Tamburino, a criminal defense attorney not associated with the case.
That's likely the reason the suspect in this case was free in the first place.
"If they posted a very low bail and then went to their treatment facility on the commitment case, if it's an unlocked facility, they could come and go," Tamburino said. "These are dangerous situations, and you really have to analyze it on a case-by-case basis."
Tamburino expects it will be more difficult for the man to be released again if he's charged with attempted murder.
"Civil commitments throughout Minnesota usually work pretty well," he said. "A case like this where you have someone with a criminal history who's had three commitments in a matter of four years, yes, more attention should've been paid to this person."
In the 2021 assault case, the suspect was deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial. Court records show he'll be evaluated again.
