March 2, 2026 – Fond du Lac Co., Wi – At approximately 3:45 a.m. on March 2, 2026, a deputy with the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office observed a vehicle traveling 120 mph on Interstate 41 northbound near Lost Arrow Road in the Township of Byron. When the deputy activated emergency lights and sirens, the driver exited onto State Highway 151 but failed to stop.
The driver disregarded a red traffic signal and re-entered Interstate 41 southbound, accelerating to speeds exceeding 130 mph.
During the pursuit, the Fond du Lac County Communications received information the driver had recently been reported missing out of Winnebago County and had allegedly purchased a BB or pellet gun while expressing suicidal intentions.
Deputies from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office deployed Stop Stick tire deflation devices on Interstate 41 near County Trunk Highway D.
The suspect vehicle continued south before coming to a stop after two tires were deflated. Washington County sheriff’s deputies closed both northbound and southbound traffic on I41 to protect motorists while Fond du Lac sheriff’s deputies set up behind the suspect at a tactically safe distance and took positions of cover.
The driver exited the vehicle holding two identical black Glock-style BB guns and began firing his pellet guns at squad cars. Deputies recognized the sound of the BB gun firing and the BBs striking their patrol vehicles as not an actual firearm being discharged toward them.
The suspect ignored repeated commands to drop the weapons and surrender, and instead exited his vehicle, fired more BBs at squads, and then fled to the south on foot away from deputies.
Following behind at a distance, deputies maintained visual and verbal contact with the suspect who eventually stopped running and stood in the roadway facing deputies in a standoff.
Numerous less-lethal beanbag rounds were deployed by a patrol sergeant, striking the suspect, however he refused to drop the BB guns or follow verbal orders. Repeated commands to drop the weapons were issued for several more minutes, however the suspect refused to surrender.
A coordinated deployment of another less-lethal beanbag round, in conjunction with the deployment of a sheriff K9, were simultaneously released on the suspect who finally dropped the weapons and fell to the ground after the beanbag impact.
The K9 bit and held the suspect on the ground while deputies approached, and a Taser electronic control device was deployed in an additional effort to immobilize the suspect so deputies could gain control and handcuff him. He was taken into custody without further incident.
The man was transported to SSM Health in Fond du Lac for treatment of injuries and additional medical evaluation.
No civilians or officers were injured during the incident. The Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin State Patrol, and an ambulance from Allenton.
Sheriff Waldschmidt said, “I personally want to thank the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and Wisconsin State Patrol for invaluable assistance. This is yet another example of the dangerous challenges our deputies face on an all too frequent basis. Although the use of deadly force was justified in this scenario, a combination of multi-agency collaboration, communication, training, proper equipment, and immense restraint on the part of our deputies culminated in a professional and coordinated effort to safely resolve this potentially deadly situation.”
