VIDEO: Hutchinson Officer Dragged, Assaulted During Traffic Stop
Luke Alvin Oeltjenbruns
An officer attempting to make a traffic stop in Hutchinson, Minn., was dragged by the suspect driver and struck in the head with a hammer during the altercation, police said.
The officer was hospitalized with injuries, but was in stable condition as of late Wednesday, April 14. The suspect, 61-year-old Luke Alvin Oeltjenbruns, of Hutchinson, was arrested at the scene after the assault, Hutchinson police said.
Oeltjenbruns was formally charged with one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault and one count fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle-bodily injury, all felonies.
The incident began around 1:50 p.m. Wednesday at Menards for a report of a man wielding a piece of lumber who assaulted an employee over a dispute about wearing a mask in the store, police said.
According to a criminal complaint filed in court, surveillance video at the store showed a Menards employee and Oeltjenbruns get into a scuffle—later revealed to be about his refusal to wear a mask inside—when Oeltjenbruns allegedly hit the worker with a piece of lumber and then "five or six times" in the head with his hand.
Oeltjenbruns left the store and an officer spotted him in the Wal-Mart parking lot shortly after. The officer tried to stop him, but a slow speed pursuit started in the area of the Hutchinson Mall. Oeltjenbruns stopped in the area of Highway 15 and Freemont Ave. SW., where an officer approached his driver’s side window. The officer became trapped in the window and Oeltjenbruns sped off, the officer still clinging to the truck. During the struggle, police say Oeltjenbruns struck the officer in the head with a hammer.
Video shared to social media showed portions of the incident. Officers with firearms drawn can be seen surrounding the white pickup, which accelerates with an officer hanging on. The woman who recorded the video can be heard exclaiming, “the cop is on there!” as the truck speeds away.
Officers were eventually able to box Oeltjenbruns’ truck in and take him into custody.
The officer who was injured received treatment at the hospital, requiring eight metal staples to his head, but he has been released and is now at home recovering, the McLeod County Sheriff's Office said on Thursday.
Hutchinson is about 60 miles west of Minneapolis.
December 22, 2021: Man Sentenced For Attack on Police Officer, Menards Employee