Police: Intoxicated man fires paintball gun at officers
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EUGENE, Ore. - An "intoxicated and out of control" man fired 50 paintball rounds at police during a 30 minute standoff Sunday evening, the Eugene Police Department said.
“This man’s actions were aggressive enough to put his own life and that of some police officers at significant risk, if not, at danger of losing them," said Lt. Doug Mozan at the Eugene Police station on Monday.
As police arrived to a report of a disorderly subject at 5:30 p.m. in the 800 block of W. 4th Avenue, 49-year-old Mitchell Levi Ellingson opened fire with a paintball gun, police said.
Mozan said officers tried to talk Ellingson down.
“Mr. Ellingson was having none of that," said Mozan. "He was, instead, choosing to fire rounds from this paint gun--this very dangerous paint gun at police officers."
"They used varying kinds of less than lethal munitions," Mozan added.
Ellingson fired at the officer's heads and upper torsos and managed to hit two officers as he yelled threats at them from his porch and front door.
Police used negotiations and "less-than-lethal" munitions to take Ellingson into custody without anyone being injured.
Ellingson was taken to the hospital for a medical evaluation and later booked into the jail on charges of assault on a public safety officer, third degree attempted assault, domestic violence, disorderly conduct and reckless endangering.
Mozan said the officers hit with paintballs suffered bruses and welts.
I'm glad his picture and home were broadcast. I know that I want to stay far away from this home and this man...err idiot.
And his children's friends should be advised to stay away as well. As far as your leaving the KVAL audience?....I doubt it....but in any case, good bye and good luck.
While this man's picture is fair game to post online and television, it is outright disrespectful to his family, friends, and neighbors to go out to his house and take video of the front and show it on the news. KVAL, you do realize that his family and children live there right? If I was his school aged child it would be mortifying to invite a school friend to my house only for them to say, "I just saw your house on the news. Weren't the police here?" Very distasteful KVAL. I cannot help but think that if an incident like this had happened in anyother Eugene neighborhood besides the Whiteaker, your news team wouldn't have been so ready to take video footage of a family's home and put on the news for the city to gawk at. I can't express how disgusted I am at your journalism practices. You just lost a long time viewer.
Maybe the dad ought to have thought about these consequences to his actions before putting his kids in that kind of position? Hmmm??
Kudos to the EPD officers for exercising restraint and using less-than-lethal tools to get him. Hope they got a few good shots in on the guy- you know, just enough to dissuade him from doing something this stupid in the future.Â
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Nothing like a beanbag to the groin.Â
Another Obama supporter!
Dumbass. Â He's lucky he wasn't shot and killed.