Sioux Falls officer placed on administrative leave after firing shots at suspect who had gun, police say
A Sioux Falls police officer is on administrative leave after firing shots at a suspect who had a gun, police said.
Officers with the Sioux Falls Police Department responded to a business parking lot for a report of a stolen vehicle shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday night at 41st Street and Caroline Avenue in southwestern Sioux Falls, Assistant Police Chief Nick Cook said.
Asa Woodenknife, 31, of Sioux Falls, was charged with aggravated assault on law enforcement, possession of a firearm by a former violent offender and possession of a stolen vehicle, Cook said. Woodenknife also had several local warrants, and a woman inside the vehicle at the time was also taken into custody.
When officers were on scene, Woodenknife ran from the vehicle. While fleeing, he brandished a knife, which he discarded, and then produced a handgun as he was running, Cook said.
An unnamed officer then fired an undetermined number of shots, because of the alleged threat, Cook said. The suspect then discarded his firearm and continued to flee on foot into the middle of 41st Street, just off of Caroline Avenue. The suspect then was apprehended by an officer, while the struggle continued in the middle of 41st Street, Cook said.
Cook said the man had not fired any shots at officers that police were aware of.
This resulted in an officer using a Taser on the suspect to bring him under control, and the man was taken into custody, Cook said.
There were no injuries and no damage to nearby buildings or vehicles, Cook said. Officers also used unmanned aircrafts, or a drone, to survey and help process the crime scene afterward, police spokesperson Sam Clemens said.
It's unclear if the stolen vehicle may be tied to any other crimes at this time, Cook said.
More Argus911: Sioux Falls police launch drone program
Cook said the Department of Criminal Investigation is now investigating the shooting, as is standard policy. Cook was not able to say off-hand how long the officer who fired the weapon has been with the department thus far.
Whether the suspect directly pointed the handgun at the officer involved during the incident will also be part of the DCI investigation, Clemens said. He was not able to provide more details, he said.
Traffic was blocked for several hours at 41st Street and Caroline Avenue as authorities investigated the incident.
Woodenknife’s bond is set at $1,004,550, according to the Minnehaha County Jail.
Man interrupts crime scene investigation
Woodenknife and the woman in the vehicle weren't the only ones arrested during the incident, Clemens said.
At about 10:30 p.m., as officers were still collecting evidence, a man in a vehicle drove through the crime tape meant to secure the scene, Clemens said.
"A lot of police officers were yelling at him to stop, and he ended up stopping just about right in the middle of the crime scene that we had from the shooting," Clemens said. "Turns out, the bad guy had quite a few warrants from Iowa, and was intoxicated."
More Argus911: 2 vehicles involved in drive-by shooting Tuesday night, according to Sioux Falls police
The 39-year-old from Sioux Falls was charged with DWI, reckless driving, being a fugitive from justice and several other charges, his jail booking log at the Minnehaha County Jail shows.
Clemens said the man was also driving at a fairly high rate of speed at the time, though it's unclear how fast. He also could potentially face more charges related to obstruction down the road, Clemens said.
"We try to make it as obvious as possible where crime scenes are, so people don't come into that," Clemens said. "Obviously, he just wasn't paying attention."
This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls police officer on leave after firing shots at suspect
