St. Paul police shoot naked man carrying a knife after assault call in North End

Police shot a man armed with a knife in St. Paul after they say he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a woman, hid in a dumpster and then came at officers as they approached.

Few details were released Sunday about the shooting Saturday night, but authorities said the man was at Regions Hospital in stable condition.

After the woman was assaulted, police said the man crashed a vehicle near Maryland Avenue and Rice Street. Naked and carrying a knife, he fled the scene and hid inside the dumpster near the Bradshaw Funeral Home.

Police said the man climbed out and ran toward officers. He was shot about 9:15 p.m. Saturday.

Police said shortly after midnight Sunday that the man was in stable condition at Regions Hospital.

Since the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) is leading the investigation, police weren't able to comment further on the man's condition.

Jill Oliveira, a BCA spokeswoman, said in an e-mail Sunday afternoon that the man's status has not changed and he remains at Regions, but she wouldn't provide any further information on his condition.

The man suffered three gunshot wounds to the leg and one to the abdomen, along with a dog bite, according to emergency scanner audio.

Before the incident, officers said they received a report that a man had attacked his ex-girlfriend with a knife in a car that crashed into a fence at a Minnoco service station.

The man was naked and roaming around with a steak knife, according to the scanner audio.

Officers discussed using nonlethal "pepper ball" rounds — a chemical irritant — and tried to talk the man out of the dumpster after a search led police to it.

Police said officers used the "pepper ball" rounds. In a statement, police said: "At some point, the man climbed out of the dumpster and ran toward officers, according to preliminary information. Officers deployed Tasers and a K9 in an effort to stop him, and one officer shot the man, who was struck at least twice."

Police called for paramedics, and one officer said they had put two tourniquets on the man in an attempt to stop his bleeding, according to scanner audio.

Agents from the BCA, which investigates most shootings in which law enforcement have been involved, were at the scene late Saturday, taking photos at the funeral home and investigating the scene.

None of the officers was injured, and all those involved will be placed on administrative leave, which is standard procedure.

The BCA is conducting the investigation into the shooting. Once the investigation is complete, it will be forwarded to the county attorney for review.

St. Paul police said the BCA will release any additional information, including the names of those involved.

It said no further details were available at this time.

Staff writers Liz Sawyer, Andy Mannix and Paul Walsh contributed to this report.

Kim Hyatt • 612-673-4751