Assault Charges for Man Following Incident with Machete Near Bemidji

Jerod Beaulieu (Credit: Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office)

Beltrami County deputies say they were able to subdue a man who charged at them with a machete earlier this week.

27-year-old Jerod Beaulieu is charged with three counts of second-degree assault and remains in custody in the Beltrami County Jail.

On Feb. 12 around 1:30 a.m., deputies responded to the 600 block of Nordic Ave. NW near Bemidji in Northern Township on a report of a man armed with a knife holding a syringe to another person’s neck. Deputies say Beaulieu appeared to be in an altered state of mind from controlled substances.

According to a release from Sheriff Jason Riggs, negotiators at the scene tried to talk Beaulieu into surrendering, but after almost 15 minutes of discussions, Beaulieu jumped over the railing of the deck and charged deputies with a knife and machete. A deputy was able to deploy a “pepper ball” gun on Beaulieu, hitting him multiple times over his body. Beaulieu fell to the ground and was taken into custody.

Sheriff Riggs says that in a situation where deadly force would have been justified, deputies were able to use their training, teamwork, and restraint to end the situation without any serious injuries to Beaulieu or law enforcement.