A bicyclist fell and scraped his hands after a man pointed what he described as a pistol at him, according to charges. The confrontation happened Sept. 18 in a dark parking lot near an alley on Wood Avenue Southeast in Bemidji.
Shiloh Sheridan Williams, 43, of Bemidji, is charged with felony unlawful firearm possession, felony threats of violence involving a replica or BB gun and gross misdemeanor carrying a BB gun in public.
Police met the bicyclist at a hotel around 9:17 p.m. He said he had been riding home when he saw a man circling on another bicycle in the lot. The man held a pistol sideways and pointed it directly at him, causing him to fall, the complaint says.
The victim said he feared for his life. He could not describe the gun beyond saying it was a pistol because the lot was dark. An officer saw bloody knuckles and dirt on his jacket, consistent with his account of falling.
Officers went to a nearby residence and found Williams in a garage. His hat and clothing resembled the description the victim had given, according to the complaint. Williams said he had not left the garage in the preceding couple of hours.
Williams also said he had spent the day with another person and gone for a ride with that person. The other person told police they had arrived about an hour earlier and had not taken a ride with Williams. A second person said Williams had not left the garage but acknowledged having been asleep.
With officers shining a flashlight on Williams outside the garage, the victim identified him as the man who had pointed the gun. Officers arrested Williams and obtained a search warrant for the house and garage.
Police found a BB pistol under a mattress and .22-caliber ammunition in the room where Williams stayed, the complaint says. Williams acknowledged knowing the ammunition was there and knowing he was prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition.
Prosecutors cite prior felony drug convictions as the basis for that prohibition.
