Man charged after police say he ran at vehicles with hatchet in Cape Girardeau

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — A St. Louis man faces felony charges after Cape Girardeau police say he approached vehicles with a hatchet and resisted officers attempting to take him into custody.

Officers responded around 5:15 a.m. Sept. 19 to the intersection of Independence Street and Caruthers Avenue after receiving several reports of a man armed with a hatchet running toward vehicles, according to the Cape Girardeau Police Department.

Police said officers found 49-year-old Charles McDonald IV of St. Louis crouched in a bush behind a shopping cart.

Officers ordered McDonald to show his hands. Police said McDonald stood up, retrieved a hatchet from the shopping cart and refused multiple commands to drop it.

As another officer arrived, police said McDonald began approaching that officer. Several officers deployed Tasers in an attempt to subdue him. Police said six Taser deployments made contact but were initially ineffective.

McDonald then ran from officers and crossed the street, where another officer deployed a Taser that allowed police to take him into custody.

McDonald was transported to the Cape Girardeau Police Department for booking.

The Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged McDonald with felony unlawful use of a weapon and felony resisting arrest. He is being held on a $50,000 cash-only bond.

Police said McDonald also had an active warrant for a parole violation.

The charges are accusations. McDonald is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.