Man Charged with Assault After Pointing Loaded Gun at St. Paul Officers
Prosecutors have charged a man with first-degree assault, saying he attempted to use deadly force against two St. Paul officers by pointing a loaded gun at them. The officers fired their guns, shooting the man in his leg. The incident highlights the risks and challenges faced by law enforcement officers in their daily duties, and the importance of de-escalation techniques and proper training in high-pressure situations.
Elliot Samuels Vaughn, 32, of Minneapolis, was treated at the hospital and is now jailed. The incident began at 5:39 a.m. Saturday when a tracker on a Buick Envista showed it was taken from a vehicle rental company’s parking garage in Minneapolis. A manager discovered the theft Sunday and noted two other vehicles were stolen from the same location around the same time. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, vehicle theft is a significant problem in the United States, with over 721,885 vehicles stolen in 2020 alone.
Investigation and Arrest
The manufacturer, General Motors, was able to track the Buick and officers learned it was in St. Paul. On Sunday afternoon, officers followed the Buick south on U.S. 52. The vehicle exited and got back onto U.S. 52, heading north. As the vehicle approached the exit ramp to Interstate 94 west off U.S. 52, officers had GM remotely slow and stop the Buick about 3:15 p.m.
Squad video showed the Buick stopped, and the driver and passenger doors opened. A man identified as Vaughn exited the driver’s seat and a woman got out of the passenger seat, according to the criminal complaint. Officers drove behind Vaughn as he ran. An officer radioed that Vaughn was reaching into his pants. He “had a handgun in his right hand that he transferred to his left hand as he ran,” the complaint said.
Elliot Samuels Vaughn (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
Shooting and Aftermath
“Vaughn extended his left arm behind him and pointed the handgun directly at the two officers inside the squad.” Officer fired their service weapons, Vaughn was hit in the right thigh and fell to the ground. Police found an empty holster on Vaughn and a handgun nearby; it had a round in its chamber and a magazine full of ammunition, the complaint said. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the use of deadly force by law enforcement officers is a complex issue, and officers are trained to use the minimum amount of force necessary to protect themselves and others.
Police put a tourniquet on Vaughn’s leg before he was transported to the hospital. He declined to speak with investigators. An attorney wasn’t listed for him in the court file as of Tuesday morning. The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Vaughn with two counts of first-degree assault, saying he attempted to use deadly force against two officers; two counts of second-degree assault with a deadly weapon and one count of motor vehicle theft.
The woman who police said was in the vehicle was charged Tuesday with drug possession. An officer working at the European Christmas Market at the nearby Union Depot responded to the shooting scene. Witnesses reported the woman who ran from the vehicle was on the other side of the barrier on the south side of the ramp to the highway.
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