An 18-year-old Duluth man was arraigned in St. Louis County District Court on Friday morning on charges related to firing a weapon during an argument with his father, which led to a standoff with police Wednesday night.
Jacob David Solberg is charged with reckless discharge of a firearm within a municipality -- a felony -- and consumption of alcohol by an underage person.
Between 7:17 and 9:17 p.m. Wednesday, police received three separate reports of gunshots being heard in the area of Seventh Avenue East and Sixth Street in Duluth.
According to the criminal complaint, one of the calls referred to shots coming from near a home at 522 N. Seventh Ave. E., where Solberg lived. Witnesses said they saw the defendant chasing his father down the street with words to the effect of "I don't want him here anymore. If he comes around here again, I'm waiting with my gun already loaded,'' the complaint alleged.
Witnesses told police they later saw someone chasing a car down an alley, beating it with a brick. Officers found what appeared to be a spent .22-caliber shell casing on the north side of Solberg's home.
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Police secured the scene with Solberg in the home. Officers broke a window and tossed in a phone, and they eventually made contact with the defendant.
Solberg told officers that he and his father were involved in a fight. He came out of the home and was taken into custody. Officers found another shell casing on the living room floor and live rounds on a coffee table. A pistol-style gun was visible in a cabinet.
A search warrant was obtained and ammunition, an SKS assault rifle, other spent casings and ammunition were recovered from the home.
"Of significance in this case is the fact that there were neighbors that cared enough to call in to police what they saw and what they heard in their neighborhood,'' said Mark Rubin, the assistant St. Louis County attorney who signed the complaint. "The outstanding work by the Police Department in defusing a potentially volatile situation is to be noted."
Solberg was being held in the St. Louis County Jail on $20,000 bail. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 29. According to court records, the defendant has prior charges of underage drinking and for having a loud party.
