Cottage Grove Police responded to an incident at Allina Health Clinic on West Point Douglas Road at approximately 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22. Officers responded to the scene after multiple 911 callers reported they were being attacked, with staff members reporting an upset male accompanying a young man that was assaulting others stating, “I am armed.” This caused them to fear that the individual had a gun.
Upon responding, it turned out there was no weapon as had been initially reported. The first law enforcement officers arrived within three minutes and were able to gain control of the situation. In addition, they determined that the father of the 14-year-old experiencing mental health issues, was unarmed.
Prior to the situation being brought under control, the young man reportedly destroyed an extensive amount of property and assaulted multiple individuals. He was later transported to an area hospital for evaluation and treatment. Others injured at the scene were evaluated by medical personnel at the clinic and by Cottage Grove Fire Department Paramedics. None of the individuals injured were transported by ambulance.
The cause of the incident was determined to be a misunderstanding of the time of the appointment which appeared to cause some agitation for the family and triggered the young man.
Cottage Grove Police thank other responding departments for their help in assisting Cottage Grove officers with the incident. Responding agencies to Thursday’s incident at included the St. Paul Park Police Department, Woodbury Police Department, Oakdale Police Department, and the Washington County Sheriff’s Department.
“We are grateful no one was gravely injured during this isolated incident,” Cottage Grove Police said in a statement. “Operations were able to be restored at the clinic for patients to continue to be seen.”