Suspect wounded in officer-involved shooting in South St. Paul

The man, wanted in at least two assaults, was grazed by a bullet and refused treatment in the South St. Paul incident.

By VINCE TUSS, Star Tribune

Last update: September 26, 2009 - 12:11 AM

A man under surveillance by St. Paul police was wounded in an officer-involved shooting Friday afternoon in South St. Paul, police in both cities said.

The man was grazed by a bullet and refused medical treatment, said Sgt. Paul Schnell, a St. Paul police spokesman.

The man and a person with him were booked at the Ramsey County jail, according to a statement from South St. Paul Police Chief Daniel Vujovich.

The man was wanted in connection with at least two felony-level aggravated assaults over the past three weeks, Schnell said.

St. Paul officers following the two saw them leave a home, get into a vehicle and drive off, Vujovich said in the statement. The officers followed and "were able to initiate a traffic stop at the intersection of Dale Street and Syndicate Avenue."

During an arrest, one "received a minor gunshot wound," the statement said. Schnell said the wanted man was the one who was wounded.

The two were arrested blocks away at Syndicate and Frost Avenue, neighbors said. And South St. Paul officers responded to the shooting about 1:15 p.m.

Doug and Julie Rolfs, who live a block from Syndicate and Frost, were home after a late-night trip to the emergency room. They heard at least three shots and rushed out to find several unmarked vehicles near a red car.

"Five minutes later, there must have been at least 10 police cars," Doug Rolfs said.

They saw one man wrestling with officers on the lawn of a home at the corner of Syndicate and Frost and another being pulled out of the red car and being cuffed.

A minivan parked in a driveway near Syndicate and Frost was hit by one shot.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and South St. Paul police are investigating, Vujovich said in the statement. Police had the area, which is near Kaposia Education Center, blocked off for at least five hours.

Vince Tuss • 612-673-7692

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