St. Cloud police: 43-year-old man bites officer upon arrest

A 43-year-old man from North Dakota is facing criminal charges for biting a St. Cloud police officer during his arrest.

Charges stem from a Monday night behavioral health call near the Walmart on Second Street South in St. Cloud, according to court records. The caller, who is the person facing charges, told dispatchers he was being chased by police and didn’t feel safe.

The defendant and officers agreed to meet at Fifth Avenue South as the man said he wanted to report something, but he refused to disclose what he wanted to report in advance.

When officers arrived he said North Dakota police officers were calling him and again said he was being chased. St. Cloud authorities then discovered the man allegedly had a warrant out for his arrest in North Dakota.

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Officers then told the man he was being arrested under the warrant. Upon receiving this information, the complaint states the 43-year-old allegedly backed away from officers and ran away. The man’s escape attempt failed, and officers caught up with him to place him under arrest at roughly 11:45 p.m.

As officers tried to arrest the man, the suspect rolled onto his stomach while tucking his arms under his chest. Court records allege the man also fought with officers, including kicking at them.

Authorities were able to get the North Dakota man in handcuffs and escort him to the squad car, according to records. As officers tried to put the seatbelt on the man, he allegedly bit an officer in the right bicep.

The officer who was bitten observed immediate bruising and a small open wound as a result of the bite, according to the criminal complaint.

North Dakota court records show active domestic violence and reckless endangerment cases against the arrested man. The man has a Rock Lake, North Dakota address, and is being held at the Stearns County Jail.

The Stearns County Attorney's Office on Tuesday filed a felony charge for bodily harm to a police officer and a misdemeanor obstruction of legal process charge.

Corey Schmidt covers politics and courts for the St. Cloud Times. He can be reached at cschmidt@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on St. Cloud Times: St. Cloud police: 43-year-old man bites officer upon arrest