Suspect shot by St. Paul police officer charged in earlier incident

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Dakota County prosecutors have filed charges against the suspect shot by a St. Paul, Minnesota police officer Saturday. 

Joseph Washington, 31, of Apple Valley is charged with three counts of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and one count of each of kidnapping and second-degree assault for allegedly attacking and sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend in the hours before his encounter with police. 

According to the charges, the victim returned to her house in Lakeville around 6:30 p.m. Saturday to find Washington inside her home. After talking, Washington allegedly punched her and sexually assaulted her. 

During the sexual assault, Washington reportedly used the victim’s phone to record her and livestreamed the video on her social media accounts. 

The charges say Washington threatened her with a knife and said he would stab her if she tried to leave. Eventually, he forced her at knifepoint to get into her car and drive the two of them away. At one point, he grabbed the steering wheel and the car crashed near Rice Street and Maryland Avenue in St. Paul. 

Washington took off running after the crash, leaving the victim in the car. She was eventually able to remove herself from the vehicle and flagged down a passing driver for help. 

Washington shot by St. Paul police officer 

The crash occurred around 7:55 p.m., according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Shortly after fleeing the scene, Washington broke into a nearby home. 

More than a dozen St. Paul police officers responded to the area following a 911 call from the homeowner. After searching, they located Washington hiding in a dumpster in the alley behind a funeral home on the 1000 block of Rice Street.

 In the body camera video released by the St. Paul police chief Tuesday, officers can be heard yelling at Washington to get out of the dumpster. Shots are then heard and Washington, who is naked, is seen struggling with a K-9 that appears to be biting him around the legs. 

Washington was shot twice but survived. The officer who fired his weapon has been identified as Anthony Dean, a six-year veteran of the force. He has since been fired, according to sources. 

Police Chief Todd Axtell said Dean’s actions did not meet the department’s standards for use of deadly force. 

No weapons were recovered from the site of the shooting or the dumpster, the BCA said.