St. Joseph Police Arrest Driver Accused of Brandishing Firearm at Strangers

ST. CLOUD (WJON News) -- A Richmond man faces a felony charge after a gun incident in St. Joseph last week.

A St. Joe police officer responded to a gun call just after midnight on Saturday near College Avenue. A man told police that another man in a red Ford pickup pointed a gun at him.

The victim's friend said the two were walking past the truck and made a joke about the driver locking and unlocking the door multiple times. As the second man got into the driver's seat of their vehicle, the victim said the pickup driver drove past them and pointed the gun at him before he got into the car and then drove away.

Officers made a traffic stop in the area of 20th Avenue North and identified the driver as 21-year-old Oakly Louangsyharaj of Richmond. Police say he smelled of alcohol and admitted to having a beer and five Captain Morgan Cokes that night. The criminal complaint alleges a preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.086.

Court records show Louangsyharaj told officers that the two men were "running their mouths" and he got a gun from the center console and raised it to the roof of the truck.

Police say they found a .22-caliber handgun with an extended magazine behind the driver's seat.

Louangsyharaj is charged in Stearns County District Court with one count of 2nd-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. He's due in court on October 28th.