Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office arrest man who charged at deputies with two knives

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Danger on the street. Blue flasher on the police car at night.
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A Uhrichsville man wanted for a warrant of Summit County spent the night in the hospital after fleeing from law enforcement, according to the Tuscarawas County Sheriff’s Office.

Detective Cole Morris reports he spotted Ryan Leeper of Uhrichsville on foot in the area of Charles Drive SE New Philadelphia (Goshen Township) just before 4 pm Tuesday, knowing that he had an active warrant out for his arrest.

Leeper was ordered to stop, but did not. Detective Morris was joined by Deputy Keith Limbacher in an effort to arrest Leeper. The suspect then pulled out two knives, threaten to cut himself and attempted to flee police, according to the report.

Units pursued Leeper and he took off running across the road and jumped a barbed-wire fence that was surrounding a cornfield. As responding units closed in on Leeper, the sheriff’s office said he began running at units in a full sprint with both knives raised up above his head as if he was going to try and stab one of them and continued to get much closer.

Detective Morris exited his vehicle with a shotgun loaded with only bean bag rounds. He ordered the suspect to drop the knives but he didn’t comply, according to the report. Leeper continued to approach officers with the knives in hand before Morris fired one bean bag round, striking Leeper. He fell to the ground, but got back up and charged towards units – Morris fired again before the New Philadelphia Police K-9 was deployed to assist in the arrest of Leeper.

Leeper was transported to Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital to be treated for his injuries. Once released, he will be transported to the Tuscarawas County Jail on felony resisting arrest and aggravated menacing charges as well as being held on the Summitt County Warrant.

“I am extremely proud of the actions of Detective Morris” said Sheriff Orvis Campbell. “From speaking with Deputies on scene, this situation could have eassily turned fatal. I am just extremely happy that the arrest was made and that the suspect survived and all of the law enforcement officers went home safe”.