BRECKENRIDGE, Minn. — Editor's Note: The attached video first aired on April 19, 2023
A 54-year-old Minneapolis man who is already facing charges in an alleged armed assault on a former University of Minnesota football player has been jailed after reportedly cutting off his electronic monitoring device, leading police on a chase and allegedly drawing a hunting bow on officers.
Police in Breckenridge said a 911 call came in at about 7 a.m. Saturday about a suspicious person, later identified as retired Minneapolis firefighter Eric Matthew Jagers, at the Blazer Express station in western Minnesota. Security camera video shows a man cutting off his ankle bracelet inside the store before driving off in a pickup truck, police said. A chase ensued involving multiple law enforcement agencies and speeds of up to 90 mph. Jagers eventually crashed into a street sign in Breckenridge.
Police said Jagers got out of the truck holding a bow, and officers fired bean bag and pepper ball rounds at him. The suspect was arrested and taken to a hospital for minor injuries before he was taken to the Wilkin County Jail. No officers were hurt.
Jagers' mental health appears to be a factor in the confrontation, Breckenridge police said in a statement.
Earlier in the week Jagers, who is white, was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon after he made a racial slur against a Black former University of Minnesota football star and fired a gun in a Minneapolis alley.
On April 14, Minneapolis Police responded to a report of a person with a gun in the alley between 16th and 17th Avenues. When they arrived, neighbors told officers that Jagers had just fired his gun and was still armed.
Police saw Jagers walking toward officers and say he refused to listen to demands that he get on the ground, according to a criminal complaint. Jagers had two guns in his possession, a shotgun and a holstered handgun. Police said he eventually dropped both guns but refused to comply with officers' commands, at which point officers deployed a Taser, the complaint said.
The Taser wasn't effective and Jagers reportedly tried to run but was tackled and taken into custody.
The victim in the case, identified by his attorney as former U of M running back and current teacher Tellis Redmon, told officers that he was driving through the alley on his way to pick up his son and was trying to avoid hitting items that were littering the ground. He ended up driving over a board in the alley, at which point Jagers allegedly threw a boot at the victim's vehicle, the complaint said.
Hennepin County Jail records show Jagers posted bail and was released on Thursday.
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