In the early hours of Monday, Duluth Police were summoned to the 200 block of North 1st Avenue East, where an unknown male was reported to have entered an apartment wielding a fire extinguisher. He left only when the homeowner confronted him. According to a press release from the Duluth Police Department, the unpredictable chain of events commenced after a fire extinguisher had gone missing, and a fire alarm was set off earlier in the night on the 300 block of South Lake Avenue.
Tenants alarmed by the smoke filling their hallways started to evacuate the building, their unease fueled by reports of a male charging through the building clutching the extinguisher after having pulled the fire alarm. As officers entered the building and began searching for the male, another report came in wherein an individual stated the suspect had broken into their apartment, taken a firearm, fired it in the hallway, and fled.
The suspect's errant night continued when he confronted another individual, gun in hand, before hastily retreating once more. He later sought refuge by knocking on another apartment's door; its residents, mistaken his identity for law enforcement, welcomed him. The Duluth Police Department noted that as they responded to the turmoil, they observed Benjamin Conway, a 42-year-old Duluth resident, trying to blend with the evacuating crowd only to discard the firearm and sprint away from the scene, disobeying officers' commands.
Following a brief foot pursuit, Conway was apprehended and transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Upon clearance, he is expected to be booked into the County Jail on multiple charges, including Second-Degree Assault, two counts of First-Degree Burglary, Threats of Violence, Reckless Discharge of a Firearm, and other related offenses. No injuries were reported during the string of incidents, and all stolen property has since been recovered. The investigation remains ongoing.
