MOORHEAD, Minn. - Police say two Moorhead men drinking in a garage Sunday night got in a fight, leaving one of them hospitalized and the other possibly facing charges of felony assault and fleeing police.
The fight was reported at 10:39 p.m. at 307 Dale Ave., where the victim's wife found her husband bloodied on the garage floor with broken beer bottles around him, Lt. Tory Jacobson said.
The victim, 32-year-old Brandon Eric Olson, and suspect, William John Morris Jr., 25, of Moorhead, were drinking in the garage when they started fighting for reasons unknown, Jacobson said.
Morris allegedly fled the scene, and a description of his car was broadcast over police radio.
An officer spotted the car and tried to stop it, but the car accelerated and performed evasive maneuvers, Jacobson said. At one point, the driver lost control of the car and it glanced off a boulevard tree before continuing at a high rate of speed on Eighth Street South, he said. The officer decided to end the pursuit at about 10:40 p.m. because of the risk to public safety.
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Shortly before midnight, police located Morris and his car at his residence at 2318 10th St. S. Morris allegedly attempted to flee on foot but was apprehended, and his car was impounded.
Olson was taken by ambulance to Sanford Health in Fargo with a deep head laceration and possible broken jaw, Jacobson said, adding the injuries weren't life-threatening.
Based on the deep cut to Olson's head, police are recommending Morris be charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, a decision that's ultimately up to the Clay County Attorney's Office, Jacobson said. Police will also seek charges of fleeing a police officer on foot and in a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident and careless driving.
The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead and the Herald are both Forum Communications Co. newspapers.
