PINE CITY, Minn. – A knife and gun were pulled during an altercation that involved juveniles and adults at Pine City Beach, deputies say.
An altercation last Thursday at Pine City Beach resulted in both a knife and a firearm being brandished, according to the criminal complaint. Vincent Richard Kirchner, 23, is accused of approaching and pulling a pocket knife on a group of friends at the beach that consisted of three juveniles and an adult.
Pine County deputies were called to the beach at around 8:13 p.m. last Thursday for a report of a man with a weapon. The caller, a juvenile female, said “that a male with black curly hair, approximately 23 years old, with face tattoos, pulled a knife on her and her boyfriend.” According to the complaint, the male suspect, later identified as Kirchner, was seen leaving the area in a silver Buick driven by a female.
Deputies pulled the vehicle over on I-35, where the female driver said she and Kirchner had been at the “beach and were confronted by a female and a couple of males.” The driver claimed that one of the males in the group “pulled a fake handgun on them” and “denied that [Kirchner] pulled a knife on anyone.”
As he was being detained, Kirchner reportedly “began yelling and made a spontaneous statement that he felt threatened by others at the beach.”
The four people in the group told deputies that the situation began when Kirchner allegedly made an inappropriate comment to the juvenile female. When the girl, her boyfriend, and one of the juvenile males from the group approached Kirchner, he “became aggressive, took his shirt off, ran toward [the juvenile female], and pushed her,” according to the complaint.
At the scene, the juvenile female reportedly “showed Deputy Collins a video where [Kirchner] pulled a knife out of his pocket.” She told deputies that Kirchner “dropped the knife as he began to run at her” and stated, “Should I do it?” as he ran after her. The juvenile female stated she believed that Kirchner would have stabbed her if he had not dropped the knife.
The girl’s boyfriend told deputies that Kirchner “ran after him while reaching into his pockets.” As Kirchner continued to advance despite his warnings, the male pulled a firearm from his waistband. The male said he had to point the gun at Kirchner to make him walk away from the situation, according to the complaint.
Two different surveillance cameras captured footage of the incident at the beach. In what appears to be the earlier footage, cameras reportedly showed the two males and the female approach Kirchner, before backing away. As the fourth group member arrived on a bike, Kirchner reportedly shoved the adult male in the group and knocked a cup out of the juvenile female’s hands. Kirchner then “walks away from the group, takes his shirt off, and runs back toward the group, pushing,” the girl.
According to the footage, the male “reaches for his waist and unholsters a firearm” before everyone walks out of view behind the lifeguard building. When all parties came back into frame, the firearm was reholstered, and Kirchner was seen walking towards his car. When Kirchner then attempts to move towards members of the group, they retreat.
The second camera appeared to show members of the group following Kirchner and the female driver to their car. As the vehicle drove off, the juvenile female reportedly kicked its tires, according to the criminal complaint.
Kirchner is charged with felony assault in the second degree with a dangerous weapon and misdemeanor assault in the fifth degree. He could be facing a maximum combined sentence of around seven years in prison.
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