Beltrami deputies subdue machete-wielding man; suspect faces multiple second-degree assault charges

Jerod Beaulieu charged at Beltrami County deputies with a large knife and a machete on the 600 block of Nordic Ave. NW near Bemidji, prompting a deputy to deploy a pepper-ball gun to subdue him and avert what Sheriff Jason Riggs called a potentially deadly outcome. Authorities report no serious injuries to Beaulieu or law enforcement.

Deputies said they were called to the rural Northern Township residence around 1:30 a.m. after a caller reported a man armed with a knife holding a syringe to another person’s neck. “Beaulieu appeared to be in an altered state of mind from controlled substances,” the sheriff’s office statement reported, and KFGO noted deputies believed he was under the influence of drugs when they arrived.

Negotiators spoke with Beaulieu from the ground for roughly 15 minutes before the confrontation escalated. “According to a release from Sheriff Jason Riggs, negotiators at the scene tried to talk Beaulieu into surrendering, but after almost 15 minutes of discussions, Beaulieu jumped over the railing of the deck and charged deputies with a knife and machete,” the release said.

When Beaulieu charged, a deputy fired a nonlethal irritant projectile. “A Beltrami County Sheriff’s deputy in northern Minnesota was forced to use a pepper ball gun on a man who charged at deputies with a machete early Monday,” KFGO reported. The deputy’s pepper-ball rounds struck Beaulieu multiple times on his body, he fell to the ground, and deputies took him into custody at the scene.

Sheriff Riggs framed the deployment of nonlethal force as an alternative to deadly force. “In a situation where deadly force would have been justified, deputies were able to use their training, teamwork, and restraint to end the situation without any serious injuries to Beaulieu or law enforcement,” Riggs wrote in the office release quoted by Lakeland News.

Beltrami County booking records reported by local outlets show Beaulieu, identified as 27 years old, is charged with three counts of second-degree assault and remains in custody at the Beltrami County Jail. Reports did not provide the name or condition of the person who had a syringe held to their neck, nor did they include details about any medical treatment for Beaulieu or deputies beyond the notation that there were no serious injuries.

The sheriff’s office credited negotiators and use of a pepper-ball device for resolving the incident at the Nordic Avenue residence without lethal force; Beaulieu is now facing the three assault counts while detained at the Beltrami County Jail.