UPDATED: Man with rifle barricades himself in South St Paul apartment, SWAT team successfully apprehends him
Updated: April 9, 2024 at 3:25 PM
SOUTH ST PAUL, MINNESOTA—According to a press release from the South St Paul Police Department Chief of Police, Brian Wicke, at around 3:30 PM on Sunday, April 7, 2024, officers responded to a report of a disturbance involving a weapon at an apartment building located in the 200 block of Marie Avenue in South St Paul, Minnesota. When police arrived, they found an adult male with a rifle in the hallway of the building who refused to follow commands and fled into one of the apartments.
Mutual aid was called in to assist South St. Paul Police as they were working to secure the scene and negotiate with the suspect. Initial mutual aid came from Inver Grove Heights, Mendota Heights, and West St Paul Police Departments. As officers from these departments arrived on the scene, they helped evacuate surrounding units to the apartment the man was in. According to the press release, officers attempted to negotiate with the suspect for about two hours before requesting the countywide SWAT team, South Metro SWAT. From witnesses at the scene, we were able to confirm that Apple Valley Police and Faribault Police were also at the scene. The South Metro Fire Department was providing medical support.
Around seven and half hours later and after multiple failed attempts to negotiate a peaceful surrender, at around 10 PM, the South St Paul Police Department stated that members of the South Metro SWAT team put a chemical irritant into the apartment building, which forced the suspect out of the apartment where he was met by law enforcement and quickly taken into custody. The suspect is a 62-year-old male from South St. Paul, Minnesota. The suspect was treated for minor injuries that occurred during the arrest and was then transported to the Dakota County Jail.
The South St Paul Chief of Police Brian Wicke said:
We are proud of the professionalism and restraint displayed by our responding officers today in what can best be described as an incredibly tense encounter with an armed offender. In addition, we are immensely grateful for the support of our public safety partners throughout Dakota and Rice Counties, including our partners with the South Metro Fire Department, who assisted us in ensuring a safe outcome for all involved.
There remains an active investigation into this incident, which the South St Paul Police Department will lead. Any additional information on the incident will be released as it is available.
The video above and screenshot below were provided to us by Jeremy Hardin, who was at the incident scene. Photos, videos, and tips, just like these, are valuable to us and help us keep the public informed.
Screen shot from the video provided to us by Jeremy Hardin from the scene.
Update
Court records show that John Gogala has been charged with two felonies in connection with this incident. According to court records and a criminal complaint from the Dakota County Attorney’s Office, Gogala was charged with second-degree Felony Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, which comes with a possible sentence of 3-7 years and/or a fine of $4,200 to $14,000, and Felony Threats of Violence (Reckless Disregard of Risk), which comes with a possible sentence of 0-5 years and/or a fine of $3,000 to $10,000.
According to the criminal complaint, multiple witnesses reported hearing Gogala saying, “I have a gun, and I’m going to shoot you,” toward the victim, who was helping move family members out of an apartment across the hall from Gogala’s on the 9th floor of the building. According to the criminal complaint, law enforcement stated that Gogala seemed intoxicated when they finally arrested him around 10 PM. Law applied and obtained a search warrant for Gogala’s apartment, where they recovered several firearms, including long guns and ammunition, according to the criminal complaint.
John Gogala’s bond was set at $100,000 without conditions and $80,000 with conditions. Court records show he remains in custody at the Dakota County Jail. His next court date is April 24, 2024, in Hastings, Minnesota. As this is an active case, Gogala remains innocent until proven guilty.
Dakota County Jail
Written By: Will Wight
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