BCA Identifies Cop Who Fatally Shot Man On Mendota Bridge

MENDOTA HEIGHTS, MN — The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has identified the officer who fatally shot a man on the Mendota Bridge Monday durying what authorities called a hostage situation. Carver County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Kurt Schoening has been in law enforcement for nine years. Schoening is on standard administrative leave.

Police say the man Schoening killed — identified as Arlan Kaleb Schultz, 31, of Richfield — was holding a woman at gunpoint when he was shot.

Portions of the incident were captured on body cameras and dash cameras, according to a news release. The BCA investigation of the incident is active and ongoing.

When the investigation is completed, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

On July 13 at 12:45 a.m., Chaska police officers and Carver County deputies responded to a "disturbance" on Yellow Brick Circle in Chaska. A man was threatening to shoot a woman inside the house, according to investigators.

Schultz fled, taking the woman in a car and leading cops on a highway chase, police said.

Chaska officers, Carver County deputies, and other law enforcement agencies pursued the vehicle until it was stopped on the Mendota Bridge — which carries Highway 55 and Highway 62 — due to tire-deflating spikes.

The bridge was shut down for several hours.

Negotiators from the Tri-City Tactical Team made "extensive efforts to negotiate and de-escalate the situation to persuade the suspect to voluntarily surrender, but these efforts were unsuccessful," according to a news release.

Schultz continued to hold the woman hostage until he was shot and killed by a Carver County deputy, police said. The woman was emotionally distraught, but did not suffer "serious injury" during the incident, according to authorities.

"In this situation, the suspect created a dangerous situation for the female victim, motorists, other people in that area, and law enforcement," the Carver County Sheriff's Office and the Chaska Police Department said in a news release.

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