Man Arrested After Shooting a Deputy with a Crossbow and Getting into a Standoff with Police

Authorities say an erratic driver who crashed into a building and shot a Minnesota sheriff’s deputy with a crossbow has been arrested following a standoff.

The incident began in Osakis this morning, Thursday, September 13th, when a man driving a stolen black pickup truck pulled into a John Deere parking lot and crashed into the building. The vehicle drove through multiple backyards and smashed into parked vehicles. The vehicle sped towards a residential neighborhood and smashed through a garage on 10th Street in Sauk Centre.

The suspect, described as a 31-year-old man from the Osakis/Alexandria area, ran into a home through an unlocked door. Officers from multiple agencies responded to the scene and tried to clear the home. The suspect was spotted on the second floor with a compound bow, and shot Stearns Deputy Paul Orvis through the left forearm with a target arrow. The compound bow belonged to the homeowner.

Multiple unidentified officers fired at the suspect hitting him in the left shoulder, buttocks, and grazing one of his hands. Officers and then SWAT Team negotiators started talking from the downstairs to the upstairs with the suspect. The suspect told officers that he had been shot. After nearly two hours, the suspect appeared from the top floor, was tasered and taken into custody.

He was brought by the Sauk Centre Ambulance to the Sauk Centre Hospital. He was then taken by Life Link Helicopter to St. Cloud Hospital for further treatment of his wounds.

Deputy Orvis is in surgery to remove the shaft of the arrow from his arm, and he may have a broken arm. Orvis is listed in good condition by the hospital.

Homes in the general neighborhood of the incident were evacuated by officers. There was no immediate threat to the general public. Sauk Centre Schools also went into lockdown.

The St. Cloud Police Department will handle the assault investigation of Deputy Orvis. The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation will handle the shooting investigation. Search warrants and a crime scene investigation also will be conducted.