Man who was shot by deputy in Red Wing charged with assault
Note: The above video is from Nov. 22.
RED WING, Minn. -- The man who was shot by a Goodhue County deputy in Red Wing last week has been formally charged with assault.
Fernando Javier Carbajal, 24, was charged with three counts of assault, including physically assaulting a peace officer.
Documents say that officers were dispatched to the intersection of Bay Point Drive and Levee Road around 1 p.m. on Nov. 22, as multiple people reported that a white SUV had crashed into a utility pole. The deputy arrived at the crash site and called for backup because Carbajal was "suicidal," charges say.
Witnesses at the scene said Carbajal got out of the car and "was screaming and being aggressive and had his arms up" as if he was trying to challenge the officer to a physical fight. A witness said Carbajal started chasing the officer and the officer tried to retreat, pulling his Taser out and trying to deploy it. However, the witness said the Taser did not work.
Then Carbajal chased the officer for around a minute and the officer fired "two or three shots" from his handgun, according to the witness.
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension identified the deputy as Steve Sutton-Brown, who has been a law enforcement officer for nearly 20 years. He was taking part in a training nearby when he arrived at the scene. He wasn't wearing his standard uniform, but had a sweatshirt on that identified him as a member of the sheriff's office and had his normal gear with him, including a baton and Taser.
The BCA recovered three bullet casings at the scene.
Charging documents and other witness statements say that Carbajal was "so much bigger" than Sutton-Brown, and that he was "very aggressive."
Another officer from the Red Wing Police Department arrived at the scene shortly after, and recognized Carbajal from working as a school resource officer and football coach at Red Wing High School. Carbajal recognized him and said "I'm sorry . . . I did some real bad stuff, stuff that my family would not be proud of, I really messed up."
Carbajal told him that the SUV in the parking lot was his, and that he was going 90 mph when he hit the utility pole. He was treated at a hospital in Rochester.
Sutton-Brown suffered a broken foot as a result of the incident. He is on standard administrative leave with pay, pending outcome of the investigation.
Carbajal posted bail after his court appearance on Wednesday.
The BCA says there is no video of the shooting, though a witness took a video of the altercation, they stopped recording before the shooting.
Mental Health Resources: Crisis services are available around the clock if you or someone you care about is having a mental health crisis. Call **CRISIS (**274747) from a cell phone to talk to a team of professionals who can help you. Text "MN" to 741741. More info here.
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Minnesota also recommends people search for a provider at Fast-Tracker, a healthcare resource developed by the Minnesota Mental Health Community Foundation. This site also offers information on how to reach suicide prevention and crisis hotlines. More on finding the right therapists here.
