College student escaped knife attack and ran for help - then was shot by cops five times - The Independent

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A college student is suing after cops shot him five times while he tried to flee a hostage situation and knife attack in his own home.

Maverick Lyon, 21, was fleeing his family's North Albany, Oregon, home after being held at knifepoint by his brother, John “Dakota” Lyon, 27, when officers opened fire on January 6.

The lawsuit against the city and two cops accuses officers of mishandling the response, citing poor communication, a lack of coordination and their failure to use the father's descriptions of the brothers' clothing to distinguish the hostage from the suspected attacker.

Lyon repeatedly mouthed “Help me!” through a window as officers approached, but received no response, according to the lawsuit. When he finally ran out the back door with both hands raised, he had already dropped the knife he was carrying in self-defense. Officers Matt Thomas and Engle Diaz opened fire, with Diaz continuing to shoot after Lyon fell, the lawsuit alleges.

“You shot the wrong guy – he was holding me hostage,” Lyon told officers as he lay bleeding on the ground, according toRing doorbell camera footage cited in the lawsuit.

Lyon was hospitalized for four weeks and underwent several operations, including the removal of part of his lungs, appendix and spleen.

The shooting forced him to miss a semester at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire and his senior lacrosse season. He has since returned to playing but will need additional orthopedic and plastic surgery to repair his facial injuries, his attorney Alicia LeDuc Montgomery said.

The incident began after Lyon's father called 911 to report that Dakota was holding his younger brother at knifepoint inside their family home.

Dakota struggled with drug use following a knee injury and was living in a separate studio apartment inside his parents' home after being released from prison in November 2025. He was serving post-prison supervision for a previous assault and weapons conviction.

The day before the shooting, the family told Benton County officials that Dakota had relapsed and was using drugs again. A probation officer visited the home and spoke with him but did not take him into custody. Dakota left and did not return that night, according to his family. A urine sample collected after the January 6 incident tested positive for methamphetamine, prosecutors said.

Dakota returned around 10 a.m. the next morning, while his parents were at work, and found Maverick making breakfast in the kitchen. The brothers initially sat down and ate together, according to the lawsuit.

About 30 minutes later, Dakota called their father at work. The nearly 20-minute conversation took a turn as Dakota became increasingly agitated and “delusional and nonsensical,” the lawsuit alleges.

After ending the call, Dakota grabbed a large kitchen knife, took hold of Maverick and declared him a hostage. He then began ranting that people, including their father, were trying to kill him, according to the lawsuit.

While the confrontation unfolded, the father watched through a home surveillance camera and provided dispatchers with descriptions of what his sons were wearing. Dakota was shirtless and wearing pajama pants, while Maverick had on a long-sleeve gray shirt.

Investigators later determined that Dakota had held Maverick against his will, forcing him to move throughout the house while threatening him with a knife.

Maverick eventually managed to escape and ran toward the back door. He was still carrying a second knife that he had picked up at his brother's direction, but his attorneys say he dropped it as he crossed the doorway. Officers then fired five shots.

Officers also handcuffed Maverick while he was bleeding on the ground, the lawsuit alleges.

The Benton County District Attorney's Office ruled in March that the officers were justified in using deadly force, saying they had only fractions of a second to react and could not have known Maverick had dropped the knife. The office acknowledged he was the victim of his brother's crimes but called the shooting an “absolute tragedy.”

Dakota later pleaded guilty to attempted kidnapping, unlawful use of a weapon and coercion in connection with the incident. He was sentenced to 77 months in prison – more than six years – and two years of post-prison supervision in June.

The lawsuit seeks to hold the city and officers accountable for the shooting and the injuries Maverick suffered.