A drunk, knife-wielding teenager ignited a minor manhunt early Sunday when he shed his handcuffs and broke out of an unattended patrol car.
It turned out he just couldn't resist a nap.
Fargo police finally caught Jeremy Pederson, 19, after an officer heard him snoring in the foyer of an apartment building at 2620 14th St. S. The discovery ended a short search that began with what supervisors considered a questionable move by patrol officers.
Officer David Cochran was en route to a domestic disturbance about 2:20 a.m. when he saw Pederson running in a dead sprint from 2620 14th St. S. The teen was extremely drunk, holding a knife and yelling about a friend who was getting "sliced up" in another apartment, said Sgt. Jeff Skuza, who reviewed officer reports of the incident.
Cochran held Pederson at gunpoint and called for backup. Other officers were dealing with an unrelated domestic call at the time.
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After Pederson was handcuffed and locked in the squad car, Cochran and Officer Matt Christensen left Pederson to check his claims of a friend in trouble, Lt. Dave Todd said. The tenant they visited was sleeping soundly and alone in the apartment.
Meanwhile, Pederson squeezed his wrists through his handcuffs and kicked out the window of the squad car. The officers returned to find the back seat empty.
Todd, the nightshift operations commander, said somebody probably should have stayed with the suspect, but he hesitated to criticize the officers. The patrol unit had at least seven other calls at that time, including two fights, so extra officers were probably scarce, Todd said.
Supervisors are reviewing the incident and will use it as a lesson, he said.
During the search for Pederson, a nearby tenant told police a man broke into her apartment through a window and left out her front door.
A K9 unit was called to help, but the officers didn't have to look far. An officer found Pederson sleeping at 1620 14th St. S., the same building he ran out of when police arrived. His forearm had a large cut and his face and legs were bleeding.
After his arrest, Pederson told officers it took him about three minutes to squeeze out of the handcuffs, which he said were put on tightly.
"They were hard to get off," he said, according to an officer's report.
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The Cass County state's attorney charged Pederson Monday with felony criminal trespass and misdemeanor criminal mischief. A call to him at the Cass County Jail wasn't returned.
Readers can reach Forum reporter Dave Forster at (701) 241-5538
