[ Man armed with dumbbells subdued by officers ]

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Dec 9, 2001 by Tim Hrenchir Capital-Journal

Man armed with dumbbells subdued by officers

By Tim Hrenchir

The Capital-Journal

A man who threatened Topeka police with dumbbells was subdued Thursday evening after an officer used a shotgun to shoot him twice with non-lethal rounds known as "bean bags," police said Friday.

Shawnee County Jail records indicated Adolph J. Aragon, 52, of 2102 S.W. Potomac Drive, Apt. 4, was taken into custody at his home.

Lt. John Sidwell on Friday gave this account of the arrest:

Police were sent at about 7:35 p.m. Thursday to Aragon's apartment after someone there called 911, then hung up. An officer arrived to hear Aragon yelling and pacing inside. The officer knocked on the door, but Aragon refused to open it. Aragon yelled for the officer to go away, threatened the officer and threw something that hit the door.

Other officers arrived, and Aragon threatened to kill them with chemicals and to electrocute them. He sprayed a chemical underneath the door that smelled like insecticide. Aragon's landlord was helping police try to unlock the door when Aragon pushed electrified wires out underneath the door in an attempt to electrocute police. After officers determined the key to the door wouldn't work, they kicked the door in.

Aragon threw a plate at officers, missing them. Police sprayed him with pepper spray. Aragon retreated into a hallway, picked up two dumbbells that weighed about 5 pounds each and threatened to use them to kill officers, who sprayed him with pepper spray again. Sgt. Frank Pase used a shotgun to fire two non-lethal rounds at Aragon, who dropped the dumbbells after being hit the second time.

Aragon was taken to a Topeka hospital, released after treatment for bruises, then booked into the Shawnee County Jail. Jail records indicted he was being held Saturday in connection with three felony counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and one felony count each of aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and making a criminal threat.