Tumultuous rampage ends only after multiple tasings, officer knocked unconscious

After two tasings and a struggle in which a police officer was knocked unconscious, East Ridge police were finally able to subdue 18-year-old Matthew James Rieder, who allegedly began terrorizing an East Ridge neighborhood on Dec. 4.

The sprawling, violent rampage started when Rieder walked into the yard of Stephen Colby and began causing a disturbance, according to witness accounts.

Colby went outside and the two began a verbal altercation that "evolved into a physical altercation," according to a police report.

Matthew James Rieder's violent rampage was stopped only after police tased him multiple times and eventually used their hands to hold him down.

Hearing the noise, neighbor Haley Sharp asked the men to quiet down. Rieder turned around and yelled at her, "I'm going to [expletive] kill you."

At that point, Sharp retreated into her house and locked the door. But Rieder, having ceased fighting with Colby, walked around the back of her house and began trying to force his way inside. As Rieder broke into the rear of the house, Sharp grabbed a gun and ran out the front door and over to a neighbor's house.

A "hysterical" Sharp ran up to next-door neighbor Richard McClendon and asked for help. Upon hearing that a man was in her house, McClendon took the handgun from her and headed over to her house to stop Rieder.

When he got there, Rieder was throwing Sharp's household possessions around the house and damaging the structure, according to a police report. McClendon pointed the gun at the suspect and said, "Stop, police department." But that didn't work.

As McClendon aimed the gun at Rieder, the suspect threw a leaf blower at him and hit him in the head. Rieder began advancing toward him, and McClendon pulled the trigger of the gun three times, but it failed to fire. McClendon turned and ran back toward his house, Rieder chasing after him and demanding the gun.

Rieder caught up with McClendon in front of the home of the latter, tackling McClendon and slamming his face into the ground repeatedly. McClendon attempted to tuck the handgun underneath him to keep it away from Rieder, he later told police.

That's when the East Ridge Police arrived.

Officers were initially called to the scene for a disorder, which was upgraded to a burglary in progress once they were en route.

Officer Cory Cleek witnessed Rieder slamming McClendon's head into the ground and attempted to stop the assault by tasing Rieder, but "it had little effect," according to the police report.

McClendon then tried to pass the officer the pistol, which caused Rieder to then turn on Cleek. During the struggle, Rieder struck Cleek in the head, knocking him out.

A second officer arrived on the scene and again attempted to tase Rieder but it, too, was ineffective.

The second officer was forced to "use his hands" to attempt to subdue the suspect, and was aided by two more police officers who assisted in gaining control of the suspect.

Once Rieder was subdued, he began spitting blood at officers, striking his feet and head against the doors and glass of the patrol car, so they attached a spit mask to his head and took him to the hospital.

But he continued his "violent and tumultuous" actions at the hospital, attacking staff and officers until he was given a sedative and strapped down for treatment.

He was later taken to the jail and booked for attempted criminal homicide.