A man carrying a loaded stolen handgun, ammunition and suspected drugs tried to escape arrest in a Bemidji alley before being subdued with a TASER, according to the complaint.
Tavian Chayse Lyons Sr., 27, faces five charges: possessing a firearm or ammunition after a conviction for a crime of violence, receiving stolen property, fifth-degree drug possession, fleeing a peace officer on foot and obstructing legal process.
The complaint states that at about 7:19 p.m. on October 11, a Bemidji police officer on patrol saw a man walking northbound in the alleyway of the 1000 block between Beltrami Avenue NW and Minnesota Avenue NW. The officer recognized the man as Tavian Chayse Lyons Sr. and knew there was probable cause for his arrest on a separate felony fraud matter.
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After confirming his identity, the officer told Lyons he was under arrest. Lyons immediately tried to flee, physically resisting by pulling away and twisting his body. He briefly broke free by slipping out of a fanny pack and tried to run again. The officer warned Lyons to get on the ground or be tased. Lyons appeared to comply but then fled southbound. The officer deployed a TASER, causing neuromuscular incapacitation, and Lyons was taken into custody.
Due to the TASER deployment and an injury to Lyons’ eyebrow, medical evaluation was requested. Another officer assisted in removing the TASER probes, and Lyons was transported to Sanford Medical Center for clearance.
Officers collected Lyons’ property from the scene. Inside the fanny pack, they found a loaded Taurus GX4 9mm handgun and nine rounds of .40-caliber ammunition. A container in Lyons’ sweatshirt held drug paraphernalia and a baggie suspected to contain fentanyl. A tin foil bindle recovered from a pocket contained a crystalline substance that field-tested positive for methamphetamine. The serial number of the handgun was checked and confirmed to be stolen.
According to the complaint, Lyons is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition due to prior felony convictions and was under supervision at the time.
The complaint says Lyons’ criminal history includes a conviction for fleeing on foot, for which he was on probation at the time, and a conviction for third-degree DWI.
The charges were filed October 13 in Beltrami County District Court.
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