Man who fled St. Paul police arrested after officers held him back from jumping off bluff, charges say

Aug. 11--A North St. Paul man is in custody for domestic assault after fleeing police and attempting to jump off a bluff while officers held him back, authorities say.

Terence Martin, 26, was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court with felony-level domestic assault two days after the frantic chase, according to the criminal complaint filed against him.

The pursuit began after police responded to a home on the 100 block of Robbie Street West in St. Paul around 10 a.m. Wednesday on a report that a woman was heard screaming for help, charges say.

Officers spoke with the 911 caller at the scene, who informed police that she'd seen a woman standing naked at a window next door screaming for help and banging on the window, the complaint said.

Then the caller said she saw someone yank the woman back from the window.

Police went to the residence to investigate and heard banging but no one answered the door, the complaint said.

They eventually noticed an open window and saw three children inside. An officer convinced one of them to open the door, charges say.

Once inside, police encountered the woman, who told officers she'd had a verbal argument with Martin but that he was no longer home, according to the complaint. The children refuted that story, telling officers Martin had struck the woman at least 10 times.

Martin was eventually found hiding in the basement and placed in handcuffs.

During his arrest, Martin told police his handcuffs were too tight. When officers went to loosen them, Martin took off running toward a wooded area, the complaint.

He stopped at the edge of a bluff and reportedly started threatening to jump.

Two officers were able to make it down to where he was standing and one held on to his legs while the other latched on to his handcuffs to prevent Martin from moving, the complaint said.

St. Paul firefighters eventually arrived on scene and cut through a fence to lower a harness down to the officers, who were able to attach it to Martin so that the firefighters could pull him off the ledge with ropes, authorities say.

Martin tried to escape a second time while en route to the hospital in an ambulance, the complaint said.

He declined to make a statement to officers.

Martin has six past domestic-violence related convictions on his record, according to authorities.

No attorney was listed for him in court records.

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