Sioux Falls Man Wields Weapon, Causes Early Morning Struggle

One man faces a series of charges following an incident that involved a weapon, a scuffle and a witness who fainted.

Sioux Falls Police Captain Loren McManus says it happened on Saturday at 5:00 AM in the 2600 block of East 8th Street. It’s not certain what the relationship was between the suspect and the apartment, but McManus notes that the residents did well to resist.

"Officers found that a male had knocked on the door of an apartment. He was asking for somebody through the door. The resident opened the door and noticed this person was holding a rifle. There was a struggle that started as they were trying to prevent this guy from coming in. They eventually got the rifle away from him."

Even when police arrived, McManus says it took a little while for things to calm down, then officers checked on the well-being of the woman inside the apartment.

"They were still in the hallway holding (the suspect) down. The officers took over that part of it and (the suspect) continued to fight with the officers. Ultimately the officers got him in custody. The fall portion of the call came from a female in the residence who is just overwhelmed by the activity and passed out. She was alert by the time we got there and she’s fine."

Police arrested the 35-year old Sioux Falls transient on two counts of aggravated assault along with one count each of disorderly conduct and obstructing police. The suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

The rifle involved in the incident was an air soft rifle but very closely resembled a more potent weapon.