Sandy MaloneFairfax, MN – Police arrested a man who held two women hostage and then attacked a responding police officer and bit him in the head while trying to take his duty weapon.
The incident began on March 16 when 32-year-old Dane Michael VanderVoort sent harassing text messages to his ex-girlfriend, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
In the messages, VanderVoort told his ex to call people and let them know he was “taking everyone to hell tonight.”
At about 7:30 p.m., he let himself into his ex-girlfriend’s house through an unlocked door and took her and her friend hostage with a pistol, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
VanderVoort allegedly took the friend’s cell phone away and warned the women that he would start shooting if the police came.
He tried to get his ex-girlfriend to have her brother come join them so he could shoot him in the face, WCCO reported.
She texted her mother and asked her to call the police.
Fairfax Police Officer Derek Carlson responded to the call and knocked on the front door, WCCO reported.
Officer Carlson heard someone inside say “come in,” and entered the home.
He was immediately confronted by VanderVoort, who pointed his gun at the officer from only a few feet away, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
The complaint said that Officer Carlson was “in immediate fear for his life” and tried to grab the pistol from VanderVoort.
The two men struggled, and VanderVoort attempted to take the officer’s duty weapon, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
The fight spilled into the bathroom, and then VanderVoort bit Officer Carlson on the head, leaving a bloody wound.
Officer Carlson twice drive stunned VanderVoort with his Taser, WCCO reported.
He was eventually able to take VanderVoort into custody and discovered that the man had another gun in his back pocket, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
Both weapons had been taken from a relative of VanderVoort, who told police he had not given the suspect permission to use them.
Renville County court documents showed VanderVoort was arrested and charged with kidnapping, making terroristic threats, attempting to disarm a police officer, burglary, theft, and several counts of assault, according to WCCO.
He faces dozens of years in prison if convicted on all charges.
VanderVoort was being held at the Renville County jail under a $750,000 unconditional bail or a $500,000 conditional bail, the Duluth News Tribune reported.