Mask dispute results in worker hit with lumber and cop with hammer, Minnesota cops say

A Menards shopper is accused of using lumber and a hammer in an assault over masks, police say.

An employee of the home improvement chain’s location in Hutchinson, Minnesota, was assaulted with lumber by a 61-year-old man Wednesday afternoon, according to police.

The man left the store and a police officer spotted him in the parking lot of a Walmart. When the officer tried to stop his vehicle, the man slowly drove away, police say.

Eventually, the man stopped his vehicle and the officer “engaged the suspect through the driver’s side window,” police say.

“The officer became trapped in the window and the driver took off at a high rate of speed with the officer hanging onto the vehicle,” police say. “During the struggle, the officer was struck in the head with a hammer.”

On Thursday, the McLeod County Sheriff’s Office said Luke Alvin Oeltjenbruns was charged with first-degree assault.

The officer, who was hospitalized, was released and is recovering at home, the sheriff’s office says.

Minnesota has required masks to prevent spread of COVID-19 since Gov. Tim Walz signed an order in July.

This story was originally published April 15, 2021 at 10:00 AM with the headline "Mask dispute results in worker hit with lumber and cop with hammer, Minnesota cops say."