A Ramsey County man has pleaded guilty in federal court to illegal possession of a firearm and carjacking, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger this week.
Charging documents state that in June 2022, Ricardo Rydell Walker, Jr., 21, took a black 2021 Toyota Highlander by force and used a threat of violence and bodily harm against the victim during the crime. Walker and others approached Victim A as they were walking from the vehicle to their apartment building, and tripped Victim A as they tried to escape. Walker then hit Victim A on the left side of the head with a handgun.
Six days later, on July 6, 2022, Walker was arrested in Maplewood, Minn., in a stolen car, while in possession of a Springfield Hellcat 9mm firearm.
Walker pleaded guilty this week in U.S. District Court to one count of carjacking. He also admitted to aiding and abetting the 2021 carjackings of a black 2019 Volkswagen Atlas and a gray 2015 Mazda 3, and the carjacking of a gray Nissan Rogue on June 24, 2024. In each case, Walker and others used the threat of violence and intimidated the victims with firearms.
Walker also pled guilty to one count of receipt of a firearm while under indictment for a felony. He was arraigned in U.S. District Court by Judge Katherine M. Menendez.
Minnesota court records also indicate that Walker has another pending case in Dakota County on a charge of financial card fraud stemming from May 2021.
Carjackings in the Twin Cities were rare occurrences prior to the 2020 Covid lockdowns and subsequent George Floyd riots, but spiked exponentially in 2020 and ever since following those events. The U.S. Attorney’s Office began taking serious action against carjackers nearly two years into the surge, with a concentrated effort to crack down on the violent crime with federal charges.
Minneapolis alone has seen 250 carjackings so far this year, which is down slightly from last year, which saw 277 carjackings through the same period, according to the Minneapolis police crime dashboard.
The federal case against Walker is the result of an investigation conducted by the St. Paul Police Department, the Minneapolis Police Department, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from the FBI.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys William C. Mattessich and Mary Riverso are prosecuting the case.
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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.
