Minnehaha County Sheriff's Dept. Uses New Weapon in Chase

by Melissa Payne
July 26, 2010


The Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department finally tests out a weapon they have had for a couple of years.

A family dispute quickly turns into a police pursuit.

When officers arrived at a home on 70th St. in Sioux Falls, 30-year-old Joshua Kutsch was leaving in his car, and officers followed.
          
"Had their lights and siren on and the person didn't yield," said Officer Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Dept.

Police chased Kutsch for nearly 3 miles before he lost control of his car and hit the utility pole, but the chase didn't end there, Kutsch got out of his car and ran into the bean field. This is when police drew their weapons, and it may just be the shotguns they used, that saved his life.

Police call it "less than lethal" fire power.  It's a 12 gauge shotgun, but it shoots bean bags.

"It just comes out with a force. It's not designed to harm anybody it's just to design to stop them, knock them to the ground, knock the wind out of them," said Clemens.
 
This is the first time the Sheriff's Department has used the bean bag bullets, and police say, it was the perfect scenario for the alternative ammunition.

According to police, Kutsch had a knife and was cutting himself, while ordering police to shoot him.  In order to protect both the officers and Kutsch, a sheriff's deputy took 2 shots.

"One of the times he was hit in the chest, another time he was hit in the neck area," said Clemens.

"The subject did receive some injuries and he's being treated for it, but he's not dead," said Captain James Hoekman, with the Minnehaha County Sheriff's Department.
    
The blunt force bullet impact brought Kutsch to the ground, but the impact was not deadly, like it could have been if regular shotgun shells were used. 

The gun is clearly marked with an orange handle and casing, so officers don't mix up the less lethal weapon with their regular shotguns.
    
Kutsch is still in the hospital for his injuries, but he is being charged with eluding police, resisting arrest and fleeing.

m_payne@kdlt.com