| Fleeing suspect asked officers to shoot him |
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By Dawn Slade The suspect who fled from police last week apparently wanted suicide by cop. According to a press release from Mille Lacs County Sheriff Brent Lindgren, the suspect, George Francis Walley, 28, of Willmar, told police to shoot him. Meeker County authorities alerted the State Patrol that they had received information at 2:15 a.m. Monday, Nov. 26 that Walley may be suicidal and had made comments of suicide by law enforcement using his Dodge Neon. Walley had also told a Paynesville couple, whose home he had burglarized, that he wanted someone to kill him or the police to kill him. Walley assaulted the homeowners and threatened them with what they believed to be a gun, yet he was asking the homeowners if they had any guns in the house so someone could kill him. Paynesville authorities located Walley’s Neon near the home that was burglarized and it appeared to have been in an accident. Just before 3 a.m., Walley fled from the couple’s home in their Hyundai. Waite Park police attempted to stop the stolen vehicle. Speeds reached over 100 mph as officers tried to stop him three times using stop sticks between Waite Park and Milaca, eventually ending the chase when a trooper used a PIT maneuver (pursuit intervention technique). Walley’s vehicle and that of Mille Lacs County Deputy Terry Boltjes both burned after Walley’s vehicle started on fire in a grassy area on the south side of Highway 23. Officers demanded the suspect exit the vehicle, which was on fire. Initially, he did not obey their request. Officers believed Walley was holding what appeared to be a handgun (they later learned it was a tool configured in a way that appeared to be a handgun). When Walley exited the Hyundai, he pointed it at the officers and two officers shot Walley. Walley then asked officers to shoot him again. Instead they pulled him from the fire and immediately starting treating him. Walley was airlifted by North Memorial Air Care to North Memorial Medical Center in Robbinsdale where he is listed in serious condition. Walley admitted that when he exited the vehicle his intention was for police to shoot him. He also admitted that he searched the vehicle for a tool that could be made to look like a weapon, which would require officers to react with force. White foam can be seen in the one photograph, which was from extinguishing the fire. One of the reasons the investigation at the scene took so long was because the foam froze and officers were waiting for it to melt so they could finish processing the area. Stearns County has filed two counts of first degree burglary against Walley. He was also charged with threatening with a dangerous weapon, first degree burglary in an occupied structure, threatening an individual while inside the home and fleeing a police officer in a stolen vehicle. Officers Dan Holada and Boltjes were on paid administrative leave as they used force to stop the suspect in the fleeing vehicle. The deputies were allowed to participate in critical incident stress management prior to returning to duty. As of Thursday, Nov. 29, both were back on duty. Lindgren and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension will forward their findings to the Mille Lacs County Attorney’s Office for an independent review of justifiable use of force by the officers. Other law enforcement agencies involved in the incident included the State Patrol, Mille Lacs Tribal Police, St. Joseph and St. Cloud police departments, and the Benton and Stearns County sheriff’s offices. Tribal Police Chief Dwight Reed said the tribal police was involved because officer Pat Broberg was returning home from duty in Pine County and the chase came at him roughly one block from where it all ended. Walley, in fact, was driving head on at Broberg who went off to the shoulder to get out of the way. He then turned around to assist. No law enforcement personnel were injured in the incident. As of Tuesday, Walley was listed in fair condition. Comments (0)
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Princeton Union Eagle
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