Five officers shot and wounded in Minnesota confrontation, authorities say; suspect arrested

PRINCETON, Minn. — Five drug task force officers were shot and wounded Thursday while serving a search warrant near the Minnesota city of Princeton, authorities said. The suspect was arrested after a standoff that lasted several hours.

A news release from Benton County Sheriff Troy Heck said the officers exchanged gunfire with the suspect when they were confronted by the man, who was injured in the incident and was taken away for treatment after his arrest. The cause and extent of his injuries were not immediately known, the sheriff said.

The officers’ injuries were not life-threatening, the sheriff said. Three of the officers were taken to North Memorial Hospital in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale while two were taken to a hospital in St. Cloud.

The confrontation started Thursday morning at a home in Glendorado Township, which is a few miles west of Princeton, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Minneapolis.

The officers were part of the Sherburne County Drug Task Force. Three were from the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office, while one was from the Princeton Police Department and one was from the Elk River Police Department, the news release said. Benton County sheriff’s deputies were present during the incident but were not injured, Heck said.

Video from KMSP-TV showed numerous law enforcement vehicles at the scene and officers in tactical gear. Video from KARE-TV showed law enforcement was converged on a rural area with homes in the trees surrounded by farm fields. An armored vehicle was seen driving on the edge of one field.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension was called in to investigate, which it often does in cases of shootings involving law enforcement officers.