Engineer jumps off moving train in Sauk Rapids after being attacked by man with knife

SAUK RAPIDS, Minn. (FOX 9) - A train engineer was forced to jump from a moving locomotive on Tuesday after a man armed with a knife climbed onto the train and attacked him in Sauk Rapids, Minnesota, the police department reports.

Sauk Rapids police say responded around 8:18 a.m. to the area of Benton Drive and 1st Avenue North for the report of the assault.

According to police, they say the engineer was operating a BNSF engine pulling a rock train out of St. Cloud when a 42-year-old man climbed on board and entered the cab. Police say the man was armed with a knife and attacked the engineer.

The engineer was forced to leap from the cab of the running engine to get to safety. The train eventually rolled to a stop in the Sartell area, just north of Sauk Rapids.

Police say they were able to find the suspect a short distance from the stopped train. He is being held in Benton County Jail facing assault charges.