Suspect charging with knives arrested after being shot by bean bag rounds
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Mar. 30, 2022) – Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s officials say deputies were able to subdue a man charging at them with two knives by shooting him with four bean bag rounds and deploying New Philadelphia’s new police K9.
The suspect, 31-year-old Ryan Leeper, had a warrant out for his arrest from Summit County for failing to register as a sex offender.
Detectives located Leeper Tuesday afternoon during an unrelated investigation along Charles Drive Southeast in Goshen Township near where he has been living.
Sheriff Orvis Campbell says this led to a pursuit into a cornfield that ended when Leeper ran out toward deputies.
“At some point Ryan pulled out two knives, one in each hand. One was a smaller folding knife; one was a little bigger. He raised them up above his head and started charging,” said Campbell.
Campbell says the deputies handled this just as they’re trained.
“Those types of situations, law enforcement is justified to shoot somebody that’s charging them with a knife, so I was extremely proud of Detective (Cole) Morris for using the restraint,” he said.
Leeper was treated at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital and taken to the Tuscarawas County Jail on felony resisting arrest and aggravated menacing charges in addition to the warrant.
Leeper’s booking photo from the Tuscarawas County Jail