On April 8th around 11:40 p.m., police were dispatched to the 700 block of East Indiana Street for a report of a suspicious individual who was pounding on the reporting party’s door. Police arrived in the area and located a male subject matching the suspect description. The subject emerged from behind a tree, walked toward the officer’s patrol vehicle, and brandished a samurai style sword. The officer commanded the man to drop the sword, but the man refused to comply with orders. At one point, the man held the sword over his head as if he were about to charge the officer. The officer drew his handgun and continued commands for the man to drop the sword. The man began to walk away from the officer with the sword still in his hand. The man walked into the 800 block of E. Tallent Street. Other officers arrived in the area and provided cover with the less-lethal beanbag shotgun. The man continued to ignore commands to drop the sword, and officers deployed several less-lethal beanbag rounds at the suspect. He dropped the sword and officers were able to safely detain the man. He was identified as 28-year-old Trenton Rattler of Rapid City. A medical unit was called to the scene to evaluate Rattler. Following medical evaluation, he was placed in a patrol car. At this point, he made several threats to kill first responders on scene. He also began to bang his head in the backseat of the patrol vehicle. He was placed in the WRAP safety restraint system before being transported to the Pennington County Jail. All-in-all, Rattler was placed under arrest for Aggravated Assault on Law Enforcement, two counts of Threatening Law Enforcement, and two Warrants. He was transported to the Pennington County Jail.
Here’s a photo of the sword:
