‘Intoxicated’ Man Reportedly Yelled at, Assaulted Strangers
Missoula police received a number of complaints from the public around 6:20 p.m. Monday evening, April 16, about a male that was walking along the railroad tracks that stretch through the city along Ronan Street.
"Callers had reported seeing a man walking along the railroad tracks near that location, who appeared to be under the influence of some kind of intoxicant," said Police Public Information Officer Travis Welsh. "They claimed that he was walking along, talking to himself and yelling out loudly as he did so, when the officers responded to the area they found what appeared to be a disturbance in the area and made contact with three individuals."
One of the men was the suspect, 32-year old Johnny Ray Donaldson. The disturbance was apparently a fight, in which a weapon had been drawn, according to two other pedestrians who found themselves involved in the altercation.
"They stopped to take video of him, which appeared to agitate Mr. Donaldson who engaged them and eventually started to fight with one of the males, which is how the officers found them when they arrived at the altercation," Welsh said. "They learned that a knife had been produced by Mr. Donaldson that had come from one of the other male's pocked, that he had apparently obtained during the struggle."
The knife was reportedly found on the ground with the blade exposed. Donaldson originally faced a felony assault with a weapon charge, as well as misdemeanors for obstruction, assault, and disorderly conduct. Later though, it appears that the assault with a weapon charge was dropped.