RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Rapid City man has been sentenced to five years in prison after charging at two police officers with a knife during a confrontation earlier this year.
Twenty-seven-year-old Matthew Fegueroa was sentenced Monday in Pennington County Circuit Court after pleading guilty to one count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. A second charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.
Prosecutors say the incident occurred May 30 when Rapid City police responded to a disturbance at an apartment complex. Authorities say Fegueroa came out of the building armed with a 10-inch knife and repeatedly urged officers to shoot him. Despite commands to drop the weapon, he advanced toward the officers before a woman at the scene knocked the knife from his hands, allowing officers to take him into custody without injury.
Court records indicate Fegueroa was heavily intoxicated and was attempting what is known as “suicide by cop.” Defense attorneys argued the incident was fueled by grief over the loss of his brother and asked for probation, but Judge Joshua Hendrickson said the seriousness of the crime and its impact on the officers warranted prison time.
Fegueroa, who had no prior criminal history, will serve five years in state prison.
