Shots fired at police officer

ST. IGNATIUS – Tribal officer T.J. Haynes rolled to the ground to avoid bullets from a .22 caliber handgun on Arrow Road at around 4 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 20.

“Haynes dove out of the way when he heard a round go off,” said Lake County Sheriff Don Bell. “It started north of the doctor’s office, which is three blocks from the school. The school was put on lock down until the male was apprehended.”

Haynes was off-duty when he spotted James Wilson Allen, 39.

“The off-duty officer recognized a male that had outstanding warrants,” Bell said. “Haynes contacted another officer and they both approached the suspect. The suspect then pulled out a handgun.”

Officers from the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, Montana Highway Patrol, CSKT Tribal Police and Tribal Fish and Game responded to a call for assistance after shots were fired.

Allen fled the scene.

“It was a cooperative effort to apprehend the suspect,” Bell said.

The officers surrounded a wooded residential area inside of town with their vehicles.

“After shots are fired, there is a heightened sense of awareness,” he said. “We know weapons are involved, and if they shoot at an officer, they have no problem firing at a civilian.”

Officers pursued Allen on foot.

“Officers on the scene tracked him through Mission Creek,” Bell said. “The snow made it easier to track him. They checked buildings, vehicles and homes, with permission from owners.”

The search ended in a home on St. Mary’s Lake Road. By 6 p.m., Allen was apprehended and taken to the Lake County Detention Center.

“He put up a small struggle but was arrested without injuries,” Bell said. “We retrieved the handgun. No one was hurt.”

Prison might be the reason the incident began.

“I believe he didn’t want to go to prison,” Bell said. “He was sentenced earlier for an incident. What commonly happens is that people are given time to get their affairs in order before they serve a sentence, and he took off.”

Allen appeared in Lake County District Court the next day and was assigned a public defender.

Attorneys and sheriff's deputies had to keep the man calm during the proceedings, as he twitched and rocked back and forth. He cursed at the sight of cameras in the courtroom.

Arraignment for charges and a petition to revoke a 2013 suspended felony sentence was set for Wednesday, Jan. 28. The five-year suspended felony sentence for criminal endangerment was handed down after an incident where Allen tried to back over a police officer that had stopped him.

Valley Journal reporter Megan Strickland contributed to this story.