Sioux Falls police fired 'multiple' gunshots at subject who had a shotgun, nobody hurt: Chief Thum

Police fired "multiple" gunshots at a man who had a shotgun and "brandished" it at officers Monday afternoon in eastern Sioux Falls, Chief Jon Thum said.

Nobody was hit by the gunshots, which were fired by police at a car wash parking lot at Sixth Street and Cleveland, Thum said. The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the investigation into the shooting, which is the fourth involving Sioux Falls officers since March and sixth in the past nine months.

Three people were arrested, Thum said.

The incident unfolded at about 2 p.m. Monday afternoon, when police responded to a tip involving parole absconders in the area of Sixth Street and Bahnson Avenue, Thum said.

Police were also tipped off at the possibility of firearms being present at the home where the parole absconders were located, Thum said.

When police arrived to the home, they noticed a vehicle leaving with what appeared to be two people in the front seat, Thum said.

Police conducted a traffic stop, and the driver pulled the vehicle over into the car wash parking lot, when the driver made a U-turn and the car came "a little head-to-head" with police, Thum said.

At that point, a person in the backseat who police were not aware of stepped out of the vehicle and "brandished" a shotgun. Sioux Falls police fired "multiple" shots at the vehicle, he said.

The suspect seen with a firearm was on the other side of the black SUV, while the two people in the front seat crawled out of the vehicle and laid on the concrete, Thum said.

Then the man in the backseat left his shotgun in the vehicle and fled into an office at the car wash, Thum said. Police found him, and an officer fired a stun gun at him.

The individual was taken into custody without further incident along with the two others in the vehicle.

The only injury reported was a minor cut to the wrist of the backseat passenger.

A Sioux Falls police patrol unit was towed a block away from the scene after hitting a truck while responding to the incid

Three people face multiple charges

Lovencia Badwound, a 33-year-old woman, from Sioux Falls, was the driver of the vehicle police recognized as having a revoked driver's license. She was arrested for driving with a revoked driver's license.

Elijah James Wright, a 24-year-old man, was arrested for possession of controlled substances and possession of paraphernalia, according to police. He was the front passenger.

Mario Reyes Rodriguez, 26-year-old man, from Sioux Falls, was the person in the backseat who allegedly "brandished" the firearm. He was arrested for a parole violation and warrant for possession of a controlled substance. Clemens said Rodriguez could receive additional charges for the incident but it would all depend on DCI's investigation.

Thum did not specify whether or not Rodriguez pointed the shotgun in the officers' direction or at anyone specifically.

There were other bystanders in the parking lot including a group of children, Thum said.

Less-than-less rounds of ammunition were not used before the stun gun was deployed after Rodriguez left his firearm, Thum said.

As of Tuesday morning, no charges related to Rodriguez's firearm usage or incident at the car wash have been filed.

This is a developing story. Stay with argusleader.com for updates.

Got a story idea from your community? Email reporter Alfonzo Galvan at agalvan@argusleader.com or follow him on Twitter @GalvanReports.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Sioux Falls police fired 'multiple' shots at man with gun, chief says