EDGARD — A local man was shot Wednesday morning during a struggle with deputies, authorities said.

The man, Kirk Bovie, 49, of John Pierre St. in Edgard, was taken to University Hospital for treatment.

According to a release from the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, Bovie will be arrested upon his release from the hospital and, pending the outcome of the investigation, booked accordingly.

“As standard procedure, the deputy involved in the shooting, Deputy Arthur Ponder, was given a leave of absence until the conclusion of the investigation,” a release from the sheriff’s office said. “Ponder has over three years of service with the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office, and he has been assigned to the Criminal Patrol Division since May 2013.”

The case began Wednesday morning when deputies responded to the 100 block of John Pierre Street in Edgard following a disturbance report.

“The complainant told 911 operators that Kirk Bovie … pushed down her niece, punched the complainant in the face and broke a window on her trailer,” the release said. “The complainant also told operators Bovie had been smoking illegal narcotics. When deputies arrived on the scene, Bovie fled to a wooded area.”

Deputies located Bovie in a sugarcane field holding what appeared to be a handgun.

“With weapons drawn, deputies ordered Bovie to put down the weapon,” the release said. “He refused to put down the weapon and charged a deputy. Bovie grabbed the deputy’s weapon, and the deputy fired two shots striking Bovie once in the upper leg.”

When deputies recovered Bovie’s handgun, the weapon was identified as an air soft pistol with the orange tip removed. An air soft pistol has an orange tip so it is not mistaken as an actual firearm.

Authorities said Bovie was alert and conscious on the scene. He was taken to University Hospital. No one else was injured.

Authorities said Bovie has been arrested seven times in St. John the Baptist Parish since July 1991, booked with charges that included disturbing the peace and battery.