On January 22, 2026, at approximately 8:53 P.M., police responded to an apartment at [ADDRESS REDACTED], St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota. The call comments reported that the caller’s boyfriend choked him and slammed his head. As police approached the apartment, they heard two males yelling at each other. The caller, PS, opened the door. Another male, JOSHUA WAYNE STEEBER – [DOB REDACTED], was standing behind him. STEEBER told police that PS needed to leave. Officers separated them to speak with them about the incident.
PS reported that as he was trying to leave for work, STEEBER wanted the Adderall pills from his backpack. PS told STEEBER that he was not going to give them to him and tried to leave. PS said STEEBER grabbed his backpack to prevent him from leaving. PS pushed STEEBER away with his forearm. PS said STEEBER got behind him and placed his right forearm around PS’s neck and placed his right hand in the pit of his left arm, locking PS into a rear naked chokehold. PS reported that he was strangled and could not breathe for 5-10 seconds.
PS reported that he saw stars, got light-headed, and thought he was going to pass out. As he struggled to get out of STEEBER’s grip, PS said he bit STEEBER’s hand. STEEBER let go of PS and hit him repeatedly in the back of the head while following PS as he tried to run away. PS said he tried to call police, but STEEBER tried to grab the phone away from him. PS was able to call 911, and while on the phone with dispatch, PS said STEEBER tried to grab the phone away from him to hang up. Police observed that PS’s neck was red.
In addition, PS had a scratch mark from one side of his neck to the other as well as a three inch scratch mark on his right temple. STEEBER told police that PS bit his finger, and an officer dried blood on his right pinky. STEEBER also showed the officer his neck, which had scratch marks on it. STEEBER said he bought Adderall for PS, which is prescribed for him. STEEBER stated that he wanted PS to leave the apartment but without the Adderall that he paid for. STEEBER reported that PS got upset when STEEBER told him that he could not leave with the Adderall.
STEEBER said PS went crazy and yelled at him. At one point, STEEBER said PS grabbed his hand and bit his finger then scratched his neck. STEEBER told the officer he had been drinking that night. STEEBER reported that he and PS had been dating for six months, and PS recently moved in. STEEBER did not allow police to photograph his injuries. After speaking with PS and STEEBER, police took STEEBER into custody. The investigator went to the Ramsey County Jail to speak with STEEBER. Following a Miranda advisory, STEEBER said he wanted a lawyer, and the interview was concluded.
In a follow-up statement to the investigator on January 23, PS said that he had been dating STEEBER for approximately three months and they currently reside together at the apartment. When asked about the incident, PS reported that STEEBER would not allow him to leave for work and wanted access to medications in PS’s backpack. The altercation began when STEEBER grabbed the backpack and PS’s neck area. PS said he broke free and went into the bedroom. PS reported that he was on the ground in the bedroom when STEEBER came in and placed him in a chokehold.
