A Minneapolis man wanted on at least 15 felony warrants spanning three counties evaded police for weeks but was finally arrested in Minneapolis last week.
Around 3 p.m. last Thursday, investigators from Anoka County requested assistance from the Minneapolis Police Department after they had tracked the suspect, Tony Alan Sage, 23, to an area near the 3600 block of Penn Avenue North, according to police dispatch audio.
A brief foot pursuit ensued after Sage and a female he was with fled on foot.
Sage was quickly taken into custody along with Alexis Louise Fossler, 35, who is reported in court documents to be Sage’s girlfriend. Anoka County took custody of Sage, and Fossler was booked into Hennepin County Jail on warrants out of Ramsey and Anoka counties involving several charges of auto theft and other theft.
In addition to numerous other cases, Sage, of Minneapolis, had been wanted by Coon Rapids police (Anoka County) in connection to a drive-by shooting in their city late last month.
Charges in that case say on March 26 Sage fired shots toward a residence on the 11900 block of Wintergreen Street Northwest where he had been staying with his girlfriend, Fossler. An occupant of the home later told police that Sage had been arguing with Fossler. The occupant then asked Sage to leave but said Fossler could stay, at which point he became upset and fired at least one shot. As Sage drove away, the resident told police she heard several more gunshots.
A bullet hole was later found in the second floor living area of the residence and police eventually found spent bullet casings and a bullet that had come to rest near 120th Lane Northwest and Wintergreen.
After Sage’s apprehension in north Minneapolis on Thursday, he admitted to police that he’d shot at the house from the vehicle. Sage also admitted he found the firearm in a Dodge Ram that he had stolen back in January and had possessed the firearm since January.
Earlier last week, St. Anthony Police Department (SAPD) released a video bulletin about Sage’s wanted status, stating he was wanted on 15 felony warrants.
The video stated one of the warrants for felony fleeing police was issued out of Hennepin County after a suspect, later identified as Sage, fled from SAPD during a traffic stop in January. Sage fled at over 70 mph down residential streets and eventually crashed and totaled the vehicle in Northeast Minneapolis and then fled on foot. He was not apprehended at the time. SAPD later learned the vehicle had been stolen out of Fridley and worked with police in that city to identify Sage.
Sage has a history of incidents in Northeast Minneapolis. Two weeks ago, Sage was reported to have fled from police at the Quarry shopping center near 18th and Johnson Street Northeast. In January, he was reported to have fled from a stolen vehicle in the Waite Park neighborhood. In September, Sage was reported to be involved in a gun-pointing incident in the Windom Park neighborhood.
Sage’s warrants and pending cases include multiple felony charges of auto theft, financial card fraud, theft, and fleeing police as well as two cases involving drive-by shootings. Other warrants and charges include discharge of a weapon in a municipality, felon in possession of a firearm, terroristic threats, first-degree damage to property, and first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling. Sage also has other warrants and pending cases involving gross misdemeanor financial card fraud, theft, narcotics, misdemeanor theft and fleeing.
Court records indicate Sage’s only prior infractions are two petty misdemeanors for drug paraphernalia and driving without a license, which are not considered crimes in Minnesota. Sage had a 2017 case involving a charge of gross misdemeanor counterfeiting currency that received a stay of adjudication. The case was eventually dismissed when Sage’s two-year term of probation ended in 2019.
Sage remains in custody in Anoka County Jail without bail and was scheduled to make his first court appearance on the Coon Rapids drive-by shooting case on Monday. Sage will likely eventually be transferred to both Hennepin and Ramsey counties to appear on warrants and charges in those counties, where cases list bail amounts of up to $250,000.
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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
Crime Watch MN
Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.
