photo by: Chris Conde/ Journal-World

The Douglas County Judicial and Law Enforcement Center is pictured in September 2018.

A Lawrence man is facing multiple felony charges after allegedly assaulting a police officer with a semi-automatic rifle after the man was confronted about damage to a vehicle at a pool hall.

The man, Jesse Lamont McDonald IV, 33, is charged in Douglas County District Court with one felony count of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer with a Norinco SKS 7.62x39mm caliber rifle, one felony count of criminal use of a weapon, one felony count of carrying a bludgeoning weapon, one felony count of fleeing from an officer, one felony count of criminal damage to a 2012 black Mercedes Benz, one count of stalking and one count of violation of a protection order, according to charging documents.

The charges relate to an incident on Nov. 10 at Astro’s Billiards and Bar, 601 Kasold Drive. Officers responded to the bar around 11:35 p.m. for a report of criminal damage, said Sgt. Drew Fennelly with the Lawrence Police Department.

The man accused of criminal damage had left the scene before officers arrived, but he returned while police were investigating, Fennelly said. The man had allegedly retrieved a rifle from his car when police confronted him. The suspect then got back into his vehicle and fled.

The suspect led officers on a short chase that ended near the intersection of Ninth and Iowa streets. The man was taken into custody without further incident and the rifle was recovered from his vehicle, Fennelly said.

“We’re very proud of our officers’ response. The suspect returned to the scene of the crime and had a rifle with him … It’s fortunate the officers were there, well-trained, alert, and able to stop the situation from escalating,” said Laura McCabe, spokesperson with the Lawrence Police Department.

McDonald was booked into the Douglas County Jail around midnight and is being held on a $100,000 cash or surety bond. He is represented by defense attorney Adam Zentner and was scheduled to appear in court Wednesday for a status update.

The Journal-World has requested McDonald’s booking photo from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.