Twin Cities weekend crime recap

Crime Watch Minneapolis recaps the weekend's biggest crimes.

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Crime Watch MN
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St. Louis Park police respond to The Shops at West End. (Submitted to Crime Watch)

Brooklyn Park police on Thursday reported they had an exchange of gunfire with a suspect. No one was injured in the incident, but Abdulwahid Hassan Hedo, 30, is in custody and is charged with two felony counts of first-degree assault involving use of deadly force against police.

Abdulwahid Hassan Hedo/Stearns County Jail

A statement released by BPPD stated that officers responded to a home located in the 8200 block of Douglas Lane North about 3:40 p.m. on a report of an unwanted male. When officers arrived, the suspect was inside the home armed with a gun and was breaking out the windows. The suspect refused to surrender, continued to damage the home and fired his gun several times. During the standoff, preliminary information suggested that the suspect and a Brooklyn Park officer exchanged gun fire. After the officer-involved gunfire exchange, the suspect continued to shoot his weapon in the home. A neighbor who was exiting her home reported that the suspect started shooting at her. After an hours-long standoff, SWAT and crisis negotiators were able to get the suspect to surrender and he was taken into custody.

The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is investigating the incident and released a statement identifying the involved officer as Hassan Robertson who has been with the Brooklyn Park Police Department for five years. The statement said Roberson fired his department-issued squad rifle. The BCA said investigators recovered a semi-automatic pistol at the scene. Once the investigation is complete, the BCA will present its findings without recommendation to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office for review.

Hedo remained in custody as of Monday on $150,000 bail and was scheduled to make his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m.

An 18-year-old man from Eagan was charged Thursday with multiple felonies after authorities say he was responsible for tossing a lit firework into an Eagan movie theater that injured two people including an infant.

Khalid Bedel Hassan, 18, has been charged in the July 12 incident with third-degree assault, threats of violence and two counts of first-degree criminal damage to property, all felonies, and one misdemeanor count of fifth-degree assault.

At least two people were injured, including an 11-month-old baby who sustained burns on her cheeks and nose. The other victim had multiple cuts on her leg and was later referred to a wound clinic to undergo the removal of debris and infected tissue from the wounds.

In a subsequent interview with police, Hassan admitted to lighting and throwing the firework in the theater and identified himself in the footage.

Hassan posted bail and is no longer in custody. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance in Dakota County Court on Aug. 16.

An inmate at Hennepin County Jail was found deceased on Thursday while in custody. Lucas John Bellamy, 41, had been booked into custody on Monday on several warrants and was charged the next day on new charges of fleeing police and possession of a dangerous weapon (metal knuckles or switchblade) following his arrest by Independence police. After Crime Watch posted about the death on Sunday, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office released a statement to media saying medical aid had been rendered and emergency medical treatment continued until Bellamy was pronounced deceased.

Lucas Bellamy (Sarah Bellamy/Facebook)

Bellamy’s sister Sarah posted a tribute on Facebook to Lucas in which she stated he’d struggled with addiction for over 20 years.

Bellamy was the son of Penumbra Theater founder Lou Bellamy. The death continues to be investigated.

Police in St. Paul closed the Smith Avenue High Bridge for a time Thursday around 8:30 p.m. after finding what they thought was a suspicious object while in the area on a report that a person might be in a storm drain. The incident unfolded on the 300 block of Water Street. Police later released a media statement saying no person was found in the storm drain, and the unidentified object was eventually deemed not to be a hazard. The bridge re-opened about 11 p.m.

Several small protests were staged in Minneapolis outside the Varsity Theater in Dinkytown where comedian Dave Chappelle performed several sets Wednesday through Friday, according to dispatch audio. Downtown Minneapolis music venue First Avenue received online backlash after announcing Chappelle was scheduled to perform at their location. Protesters accused Chappelle of telling transphobic jokes and expressed displeasure that First Avenue was hosting the comic. Just prior to Wednesday’s opening show, the venue announced the move to the Varsity Theater.

Photos and videos posted online showed vulgar graffiti written by protesters on the exterior walls of the Kollege Klub across the street from the Varsity. Other videos showed protesters waving signs and shouting at show attendees waiting in line.

During Friday’s protest, skirmishes broke out and police deployed a chemical irritant toward protesters at one point while patrons were exiting after the first set, according to dispatch audio. A handful of protesters were eventually arrested on Friday.

Two people were reportedly arrested and cited for damage to a structure by graffiti. Jail records show Sheridan Ann Lair, 27, of Burnsville and Natalia Rizzo Slaughter, 31, of Minneapolis were each booked and cited with a misdemeanor offense. Both were released several hours later with no bail required. Both have court appearances scheduled for Sept. 29.

Activists posted on social media that three others had been arrested at the Friday protest. Hennepin County Jail records showed a 35-year-old woman from Minneapolis was booked on probable cause first-degree assault and riot, and a 29-year-old woman from St. Paul was booked on probable cause counts of obstructing the legal process, fleeing police, and riot. Both women were released from custody Monday afternoon with jail records showing the 36-hour charging period had expired. A 28-year-old man from Minneapolis was also booked into custody on probable cause counts of fourth-degree assault, fleeing police, and riot. Records show a bond amount of $6,000 was posted and he was released from custody on Saturday prior to being formally charged.

Bloomington police reported that shots had been fired by suspects Thursday night about 8:47 p.m. during a robbery near American Boulevard East and 24th Avenue South. BPPD said officers arrived immediately and ended up arresting four juveniles and recovered three handguns. They reported no injuries from gunfire in the incident.

Dispatch audio from the time of the incident indicated that a 911 caller said five black males were beating up another male, and then gunshots were reported by 911 callers. When police arrived, they located a victim who had been “beat severely.” Further dispatch audio indicated that the original incident occurred at Mall of America and then relatives of the robbery victim showed up and confronted the suspects near Towne Place Suites and the Fairfield Inn, where the assault occurred. No further information was made available by police about potential charges against the suspects.

Brooklyn Park police reported on Friday that officers heard what sounded like ten gunshots of automatic gunfire in the area of 7600 Welcome Avenue North just after midnight. Officers believed the shots were fired south of Brooklyn Boulevard and north of 73rd Avenue. Officers spoke to several witness, who also heard the shots fired, but were unable to provide any further details. Officers were not able to locate where the shots had been fired.

Brooklyn Park police later reported on Friday that they had been dispatched about 6:19 a.m. to the 7600 block of James Avenue North for a domestic situation. Officers determined they had evidence for domestic related charges against the suspect and an order for protection violation. Police said the suspect was determined to have access to weapons inside the residence and refused to come out. Traffic in the immediate area was shut down and a large police presence was in the area for a period of time. The statement said officers negotiated with the male, and he agreed to come out, and was eventually taken into custody without incident.

The Dakota County Attorney’s Office announced on Friday a third-degree murder charge against Parker Jay Benson, 17, of Bloomington in the April 20 death of a teenage girl in West St. Paul. Benson has been charged by juvenile petition and is accused of selling a fatal dose of fentanyl to the 15-year-old girl that resulted in her death. The girl’s mother found her face down and unresponsive in her bed that morning. A search of the victim’s phone later revealed a Snapchat conversation between the victim and “Parker” in which the sale of four pills and a meet up was discussed. The DCAO statement said a motion has also been filed to certify Benson as an adult, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. As of Friday, a hearing had not been scheduled.

An adult male died in an Andover motorcycle crash Friday morning. When responders arrived on scene just before 11 a.m., they aired that the motorcyclist appeared to not be breathing and requested air transport. The Anoka County Sheriff’s Office later released a statement saying the motorcyclist had been traveling northbound on Tulip Street when he struck a pickup truck driven by an adult female that was traveling eastbound on 173rd Lane Northwest. Life saving measures were administered by responders, but the male died at the scene. He had not been identified by Monday afternoon. The pickup driver was reportedly not injured and the ACSO said the crash continues to be investigated.

Police in downtown Minneapolis on Saturday aired that shots were fired about 2:43 a.m. near 7th Street and Hennepin Avenue, according to dispatch audio. Police subsequently aired that spent shell casings were found near 8th Street and Hennepin Avenue and that a window at the Capital Grille had been shot out. Police also located a woman with a grazing gunshot wound to the leg. Further information about the victim’s condition was not immediately available. Police aired that two witnesses described the shooter as a Somali male about 20 years old in a yellow jacket and carrying a fanny pack over his shoulder who fled from the scene. Photos later surfaced online showing the damage to the Capital Grille. No public statement was issued by police about the incident.

A gunshot victim showed up at HCMC about 5:13 a.m. Saturday, according to dispatch audio. The victim reportedly told law enforcement that they had been shot near East 28th Street and Minnehaha Avenue in south Minneapolis. The dispatcher had aired a report of shots heard just prior in the area of the 2500 block of 24th Avenue South and stated the gunshot victim could be related. Information about the victim’s injuries was not immediately available, and no public statement was issued by police about the incident.

At least three “street racers” were arrested on warrants over the weekend. In Anoka County, Isac David Romero, 21, of Richfield was arrested on a warrant for felony first-degree damage to property and misdemeanor reckless driving. Charges say Romero and three other co-defendants are responsible for $23,000 in damages to a Fridley business parking lot.

Isac David Romero/Anoka County Jail

In Hennepin County, two arrests were made. Isaac Abram Hernandez Quezada, 20, of Eagan was arrested on a warrant for felony second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon (the vehicle) and gross misdemeanor fourth degree damage to property for an intersection “take-over” incident in April at 8th and Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis.

Minnetonka police arrested Desmond Lee Walker, 23, of St. Paul Park on two warrants early Sunday morning. Walker is charged in two cases with felony second-degree riot while armed with a dangerous weapon (the vehicle), and in one case with felony first-degree damage to property. The charges stem from an incident in July 2021 at West Broadway and Penn avenues north, and an April 2022 incident at 22nd Avenue North and North 2nd Street, both in north Minneapolis.

Former director of public safety for the City of Maplewood, Scott Nadeau, posted on Facebook Saturday stating his son had been hospitalized with several serious injuries after being attacked in downtown Minneapolis on Friday night. Nadeau said his son, Jack, went with friends to a bar, and while waiting for an Uber ride home had his phone snatched from his hand outside a bar. When Jack attempted to retrieve his phone, he was punched and beaten. Jack was hospitalized with “a broken sinus, skull fractures, and bleeding on the brain,” Nadeau said. “As usual there are no suspects in custody that we are aware of.” Nadeau further said in the lengthy statement, “If people tell you Downtown MPLS is safe they are lying or incredibly uninformed.”

Crime Watch Minneapolis said that thefts of cellphones by groups have been commonly reported in the downtown Minneapolis entertainment district at bar closing time.

Coon Rapids police posted on social media Saturday stating that preliminary reports show 205 people have died on Minnesota roads as of July 23 this year. CRPD said they are participating in the statewide extra speed patrols campaign during July to help prevent further tragedy. The extra enforcement is in partnership with the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety, CRPD said.

Police and EMS in Minneapolis responded about 3 a.m. Sunday to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in a hit and run crash near East 28th Street and Bloomington Avenue, according to dispatch audio. Police searched for a red suspect vehicle that left a trail of debris in the area, but the vehicle wasn’t immediately located. Further audio indicated that the approximately 28-year-old male victim was transported to the hospital with a traumatic head injury including an open skull fracture, broken jaw and multiple broken bones. Further information about the victim’s condition was not immediately available, and no public statement was issued by police on the incident.

A short time later, police, fire and EMS responders in Minneapolis were dispatched to a serious crash on Sunday about 3:45 a.m. in which several parties were injured on the 2400 block of Hennepin Avenue. Dispatch audio indicated that some parties had been thrown from the vehicle and at least three parties were trapped and required extrication. Photos surfaced online of the aftermath of the crash that showed two vehicles crashed side-by-side on the sidewalk.

Further dispatch audio indicated that an approximately 30-year-old male pedestrian had been struck by the two vehicles and was transported to the hospital unconscious and bleeding from several injuries. Another victim was reported to be an approximately 22-year-old male who had been extricated from the back seat of one of the vehicles. He was transported to the hospital unresponsive with a broken jaw and bleeding in his airway, according to dispatch audio. Four other victims were transported to the hospital with apparently less severe injuries including two females, ages 17 and 19, and two males, both age 21. Injuries aired included lacerations, a head injury and injuries to extremities. Further information was not immediately available on the victims’ conditions. It’s not clear what led up to the crash and no public statement was issued by police.

Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis went into a brief “code Yellow” lockdown around 7 a.m. Sunday following a robbery or attempt of a staff member, according to dispatch audio. The hospital is located at 2525 Chicago Avenue. Further information provided to Crime Watch stated the incident occurred outside near the emergency room entrance. The suspect was reported to be a black male in a Volkswagen SUV with no plates. No public statement was issued by police about the incident.

A 16-year-old gunshot wound victim showed up at North Memorial hospital on Sunday afternoon, according to dispatch audio. The victim reportedly told police he was shot about 9 p.m. the evening prior at Folwell Park. A Shotspotter activation had been aired by dispatch just before 9 p.m. Saturday on the 3800 block of Dupont Avenue North, which is several blocks away from Folwell Park. Further information wasn’t immediately available, and no public statement was issued by police about the incident.

Sunday before 10 p.m., a large contingent of law enforcement responders flooded into St. Louis Park’s Shops at West End (top photo), according to multiple reports to Crime Watch. There were unofficial reports that a “brawl” had broken out involving teenagers at or near the movie theater. St. Louis Park Police Chief Mike Harcey responded Monday to an email inquiry and stated that St. Louis Park police responded about 9:36 p.m. “to a disturbance at the Showplace ICON Theater. Several juveniles were arguing with two adults. No physical arrests were made.” The chief indicated his department will be seeking criminal charges for damage to property on one juvenile and declined to supply further information due to the ongoing investigation.

Around Minnesota

Duluth police reported Saturday that a 17-year-old juvenile male was arrested in connection to an armed robbery. Police said they were dispatched about 3:51 p.m. to meet with a victim who said they had been on a meet up to sell a phone on the 100 block of 131st Avenue West. The victim said the male pulled a gun on them and demanded the phone and ran. Officers set up a perimeter and located the male and he was apprehended without incident. Police said the juvenile was transported to the Arrowhead Juvenile Center for pending charges of aggravated robbery and second-degree assault. DPD said the investigation is ongoing.

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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.

 

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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.

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