St. Cloud man who attacked officer with knife before being shot sentenced to prison

A 47-year-old man who swung at a St. Cloud, Minnesota, police officer with a knife before he was shot by law enforcement last year has been sentenced, according to court records filed on Monday.

A jury convicted Kyeon Royale Hill of one count each of first-degree assault and fourth-degree assault against a peace officer in July. On Monday, a judge sentenced him to 11 years in prison with credit for 498 days served for the former charge, online court records show; no sentence has been pronounced for the latter.

According to a criminal complaint, officers with the St. Cloud Police Department responded to the 600 block of Eighth Avenue North on May 9, 2025, for a report of a dispute. They met with a woman who said she asked Hill to pick up his property from her home. She said he was agitated when he arrived.

The woman went on to say Hill "acted as though he was going to punch her with his fist" and was lunging at her while making a motion that he was going to punch her, court documents said. The officers then went to a vehicle Hill was sitting in and told him he was under arrest.

The complaint said the officers noticed Hill had a knife. They told him to put the knife down and leave the vehicle before he said he wasn't going to let them arrest him.

Hill eventually exited the vehicle and swung at one of the officers with the knife, striking their arm, according to court documents. That officer then drew their pistol and shot a round at Hill, the complaint said. He was taken into custody and brought to the hospital after attempting to flee police. 

Police say the knife was recovered at the scene.

Domestic Violence Resources: For anonymous, confidential help, people can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or 1-800-787-3224.