Charges: Bicyclist slashes cop's tires, cop pulls gun

A bicyclist armed with a knife who slashed a Minneapolis police officer's tire and waved the blade at him faces assault charges.

Hennepin County prosecutors charged John Herbert Sawchak, 46, of Minneapolis with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.

The incident happened on June 9 when the police officer, who was not named in the complaint, was driving on a residential street in the Uptown neighborhood, according to the complaint.

Sawchak suddenly pulled onto the street between the officer and parked cars, causing the cop to swerve, the complaint said.

The cyclist then caught up to the officer after he parked and it appeared he was about to hit the vehicle. Before he could get out of the car, the officer saw Sawchak stop suddenly next to the rear door, charges say. The officer then "heard a loud hissing noise" and realized Sawchak had slashed one of his tires.

The cop chased Sawchak down the street and said Sawchak started screaming, "you tried to kill me, you tried to kill me."

The officer pushed Sawchak up against a parked car, then Sawchak, standing three feet away, pulled loose and got out a 4-inch bladed knife.

"Victim felt there was an imminent threat to his life, so he immediately stepped back and drew his duty handgun from his work holster as he displayed the badge on his duty vest," according to the complaint.

The officer told Sawchak he was a police officer, which then didn't seem to change his "erratic and outwardly enraged behavior while screaming and waving the knife."

Charges say Sawchak continued screaming "help me, this guy has a gun ... somebody call the police."

The officer pointed the handgun at Sawchak's chest and shouted at him to drop the knife. Sawchak at that point threw the knife to the curb.