The Apple Valley man shot by police Saturday had broken into his ex-girlfriend's apartment and repeatedly assaulted her at knife point while livestreaming the brutal attack on Facebook, charges say.
Man shot by St. Paul police over weekend charged in assault, kidnapping
Charges filed in Dakota County say he livestreamed sexual assaults, attacks.
December 3, 2020 at 2:37AM
Court documents reveal new details about what investigators say happened in the hours before the man was shot and wounded by a St. Paul police officer on Saturday.
Joseph Javonte Washington, 31, was charged Tuesday in Dakota County District Court with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, one count of kidnapping and one count of assault — all felonies.
He remains hospitalized in stable condition at Regions Hospital, where he was treated for a dog bite and gunshot wounds to the leg and abdomen. Once discharged, he is expected to be arrested by Lakeville police. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the state agency tasked with investigating most police shootings, has yet to interview him, a spokeswoman said.
Chief Todd Axtell terminated Anthony Dean, the officer who shot Washington, saying the officer's actions were neither reasonable nor necessary.
According to the criminal complaint:
Around 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Washington's ex-girlfriend came home to find him waiting inside her Lakeville apartment.
Washington stole her phone and punched her in the face, knocking her head into a TV stand as she fell on the ground.
For the next hour, Washington dragged her from room to room by the hair, sexually assaulting her while brandishing a knife from her kitchen, charges say. Throughout the assault, Washington used her cellphone to record and livestream videos on Facebook and Snapchat.
The footage, obtained by law enforcement, showed injuries to her face and audio of Washington threatening to kill her.
Eventually, Washington forced the victim into her car and told her to drive, without stopping, through red lights. The car crashed into the fence of a Minnoco service station on Maryland Avenue and Rice Street around 8 p.m., after Washington grabbed the steering wheel.
A naked Washington ran from the car. The victim flagged down a passing motorist for help.
Over the next 90 minutes, Washington broke into a St. Paul home — reportedly stealing orange juice — before hiding in a dumpster outside Bradshaw Funeral Home.
Police tracked him there and discussed using nonlethal rounds of "pepper ball" — a chemical irritant — while trying to coax Washington out.
At one point, an officer relayed to dispatch: "He's yelling that he's got a gun."
When he emerged, he appeared to run and officers deployed Tasers and a K-9 to stop him. Dean fired three shots, paused, then fired one more after the dog bit Washington.
Investigators searching his ex-girlfriend's apartment later found knives and blood droplets on the floor, as well as evidence of a struggle.
No attorney was listed for Washington in court records.
His criminal record includes at least three previous felonies for burglary and illegal possession of a firearm as a minor.
Liz Sawyer • 612-673-4648
