A Portland, Ore., man was charged Wednesday with three felonies stemming from an incident earlier in the week in which he was shot by an off-duty police officer outside a northwest Indiana Planned Parenthood building.
Craig leonard Strand, 43, was charged with disarming a police officer, battery resulting in bodily injury and resisting law enforcement, officials said. All are felonies.
According to a criminal complaint, Strand illegally parked his tractor trailer in the parking lot of the Planned Parenthood, in the 8600 block of Connecticut Street, in Merrillville. Officer Curtis Minchuk, who was off-duty but working security for the facility, issued two citations.
Strand returned to the truck about two hours later and went inside the Planned Parenthood to complain about the citations.
Minchuk, an eight-year veteran, told Strand to take any complaints to the Merrillville Police Department. Strand allegedly responded by saying, "I’m tired of you cops doing this to us."
The officer got into his Merrillville police car and drove to the back of the parking lot, according to a statement by the Major Crimes Task Force. However, Strand refused to leave the Planned Parenthood property and the officer had to tell him again to move the semi truck.
Strand refused to leave and began cursing at the officer, according to the task force. The officer then attempted to arrest Strand, who pushed the officer in the chest and punched him in the mouth.
Both men fell over a curb onto the ground and Strand punched the officer in the face about a dozen times while shouting "I’ve got something for you," officials said.
Strand had the officer pinned to the ground and later a parked vehicle and allegedly tried to disarm him numerous times, according to the task force. The officer pushed Strand away with his foot, grabbed his gun shot him once the abdomen area as he tried to attack again.
The officer suffered wounds and swelling to the head and face and cuts and bruises to his arms and backs, the task force said. He was treated and released from an area hospital.
Strand was taken to an area hospital, where he underwent surgery and remains in intensive care, the task force said.
The task force ruled the shooting “justifiable” and cleared the officer of any misconduct, according to the statement.
