A man shot by a Bethel police officer after allegedly approaching officers with a knife has been arrested and charged with felony assault. The charges stem from his alleged aggression toward a community service officer and Bethel police officer in an altercation in the early morning hours of March 25.
According to charging documents, the altercation ended when Bethel police officer Ceaira Preuett shot 53-year-old Wassillie Larson twice in the arm after Larson allegedly lunged at her with a knife.
Larson was medevaced to Anchorage. Preuett was put on paid administrative leave pending an external investigation into the incident by the Alaska Bureau of Investigations.
Preuett allegedly first made contact with Larson in the hours leading up to the incident when he was found standing in the middle of a roadway near the center of town. Charging documents say Larson was transported in an ambulance to the hospital out of concerns for his safety.
After Larson allegedly refused treatment at the hospital, Preuett made contact with Larson a second time with the intention of transporting him to the local jail for a “sleep-off.” Preuett was unable to detain Larson, who fled on foot, documents say.
A Bethel community service officer located Larson in the roadway and attempted to speak with him, at which point Larson allegedly drew a knife and began waving it around. Charging documents say the community service officer reacted by aiming a taser at Larson. When Preuett later arrived at the scene and drew her firearm on Larson, she alleged in a recorded interview that Larson lunged at her with the knife and she shot him.
Bethel Director of Public Safety Jeffrey Kirkham said April 7 that Preuett would not face disciplinary action based on the results of the state’s investigation. He said the Bethel Police Department is still conducting its own internal investigation.
Larson has been charged with two counts of felony third-degree assault. A preliminary hearing in his case is set for April 14 in Bethel court.
