Apr 10, 2008 6:57 pm US/Central
Felony Assault, Threat Charges Filed Against Eller
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) ―
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Former Minnesota Vikings great Carl Eller was arrested after he refused to give a breath test for drunken driving early Wednesday in north Minneapolis. (File)
Hennepin County
Former Minnesota Vikings great Carl Eller was charged Thursday with two felonies after an alleged scuffle with police officers trying to arrest him for possible drunken driving.
Hennepin County prosecutors charged Eller, 66, with fourth-degree assault and making terroristic threats. He was also charged with driving while impaired and refusing to take a chemical test for alcohol, both gross misdemeanors.
"Nobody likes to see a public figure go through this, and we think it's unfortunate that we have to do this today, but we have our duty," said Paul Scoggin, chief of the violent crimes division for the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
Eller was let out of the Hennepin County Jail Thursday after posting $50,000 bail. He had been in custody since his arrest early Wednesday morning and was scheduled to appear in court Friday afternoon.
Eller declined to comment when approached by reporters as he left jail. Scoggin said no attorney had yet signed on to represent Eller.
Scoggin said no attorney had yet signed on to represent Eller. Several phone calls to Eller's foundation went unanswered. A message left at Eller's home wasn't immediately returned, and his cell phone mailbox was full.
According to the criminal complaint, two Minneapolis police officers watched a Mercedes SUV run a stop sign and swerve toward their squad car. The officers chased the SUV to Eller's home, where they watched it pull into the driveway in the back of the house.
The officers approached the SUV and ordered Eller to get out, the complaint said. Then Eller allegedly pulled his car into the garage. When he got out, he ignored the officers' commands and tried to enter his home, according to the complaint.
The officers tried to handcuff him, but Eller "became combative" and threatened the officers, the complaint said. At one point, according to the complaint, Eller said, "I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't let me go" and "I'm going to ... kill you now."
The struggle was difficult for the officers, because "Mr. Eller is a very healthy 66-year-old man who hasn't lost his physical abilities," Scoggin said.
The complaint said Eller was unfazed by the officers' use of a Taser. Eller allegedly threw one officer onto his SUV. He hit the other officer in the face and also grabbed and squeezed his left calf and grabbed his finger and thumb.
Eller was taken into custody after backup officers arrived. During the incident, police noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Eller, the complaint said.
Scoggin said if the allegations are proven, Eller would likely face up to a year in a workhouse. But he said a typical penalty would be a combination of some workhouse time and probation.
Eller was a member of the famed "Purple People Eaters" in his 15 years as a defensive end with Minnesota from 1964-78. He played in six Pro Bowls and all four of the Vikings' trips to the Super Bowl. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
In 2006, Eller was charged in the suburb of Golden Valley with driving under the influence and later pleaded guilty.
Eller has acknowledged his history as a substance abuser. He became a treatment counselor and has spoken publicly to groups about the problems of chemical dependency.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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