A 21-year-old Richmond man is charged with felony second-degree assault after St. Joseph police alleged that he pointed a handgun at two pedestrians from a red Ford pickup. Officers later stopped the truck and reported finding a .22-caliber handgun with an extended magazine behind the driver's seat.
The incident was reported just after midnight Saturday near College Avenue, according to WJON, which cited the police report and criminal complaint. A man told officers that the driver of a red Ford pickup had pointed a gun at him.
Police said the man and a friend had been walking past the pickup when its driver went by and allegedly aimed the gun at him before leaving. The friend told officers the two had joked about the driver repeatedly locking and unlocking the truck, according to the account.
Traffic Stop Leads to Weapon and Arrest
Officers later stopped the pickup near 20th Avenue North and identified the driver as 21-year-old Oakly Louangsyharaj of Richmond. Police reported that he smelled of alcohol and said they found the handgun behind the driver's seat.
According to the report, Louangsyharaj told officers he had taken the gun from the center console and raised it toward the truck's roof. He reportedly said the two men were “running their mouths.”
Alcohol Test and Charge Filed
A preliminary breath test showed a blood-alcohol concentration of 0.086, according to the criminal complaint cited in the report. Louangsyharaj told officers he had consumed one beer and five mixed drinks that night.
Louangsyharaj faces one count of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, a felony filed in Stearns County District Court, according to the report. He is due back in court on October 28.
What happens next
Under Minnesota Rule of Criminal Procedure 11, a felony case in which the defendant has not pleaded guilty must proceed to an omnibus hearing. That hearing can address probable cause and other pretrial issues; it does not by itself resolve the allegations. The reported encounter occurred near College Avenue, where the College of Saint Benedict lists its security office at 37 S College Avenue, according to the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John's University. The available information does not connect the college or its security office to the alleged confrontation.
Statewide crime and sentencing context
The available statewide data does not specify how many aggravated assaults involved firearms or how many occurred in Stearns County. According to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Minnesota recorded 8,762 aggravated assaults in 2025, an 11 percent decrease from 2024. Separately, the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes says second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and a fine of up to $14,000 under section 609.222, subdivision 1.
