Police Use Taser on SLP Man Stabbing Himself With Knife

Bradley James Meyer, 34, told police he intended to kill himself and that he drove to the woman's house planning on hurting himself in front of her, according to a Scott County criminal complaint.

Police arrived at the house on the 900 block of Ramsey Street around 10:20 p.m. on May 18, and found Meyer in a dark blue car, his face covered in blood, revving the engine. 

When police shouted for Meyer to turn off the car, he screamed back, "No," according to the criminal complaint. 

A police officer approached the car but backed away when she saw Meyer grab the kitchen knife from the passenger seat. 

As police yelled to drop the blade, Meyer, a cigarette in his left hand, repeatedly stabbed himself in the chest before slashing steadily at his neck. Hospital staff at the Hennepin County Medical Center later said that Meyer had 17 stab wounds and a collapsed lung.

Police backup soon arrived and guns were drawn for cover as two different officers tried to tase Meyer. One probe made contact with Meyer's left shoulder, but the other went wide, negating the effect. 

Meyer, was agitated, according to the complaint, using obscenities, screaming, "Kill me!" and clutching the knife in his right hand.

Eventually, police punctured a rear tire to prevent him from leaving the scene, and Meyer evidently gave up, dropping the knife out of the window and saying he wanted to smoke a cigarette.

Police then opened the car door and administered a Drive Stun, designed to cause submission through extreme pain rather than nerve incapacitation.

Once handcuffed, Meyer was given emergency medical attention, with pressure applied to the large laceration on his neck to stay the heavy bleeding. Meyer was taken by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital, and later to the Hennepin County Medical Center.

Meyer later told police he had drunk about seven beers and swallowed several Xanax. Police found a suicidal note tacked to the woman's front door and a suicidal text sent from Meyer's phone, according to the police report.

The damage done to the garage and a car parked inside that he rear-ended is estimated at $1,000.

Meyer has been charged with felony first-degree damage to property and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. He faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.