Warning: This report contains details about sexual assault that some may find disturbing.
A man with no permanent address has been charged in relation to a reported carjacking and sexual assault of a woman in Minneapolis last Friday.
Carl Stanley Williams, 37, has been charged with three felony counts including first-degree criminal sexual conduct (involving penetration while armed with a dangerous weapon), kidnapping, and first-degree aggravated robbery.
Police were dispatched about 10:30 a.m. last Friday on a report of a carjacking on the 2400 block of Pleasant Avenue South. After police arrived and spoke to the victim, the report was updated to include sexual assault of the female victim, according to a social media post by Crime Watch Minneapolis, a public safety watchdog which posts information from police scanners.
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Carjacking and sexual assault.
Near 24th and Pleasant Ave S
Suspect: BM, late 30s, 5'9", stocky build, wearing a three-hole winter mask, thin braids sticking out from the mask. Plastic-y style blue/green jacket with a hood. Possibly armed with older style white revolver.— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) January 14, 2022
According to the criminal complaint, the woman, whom WCCO reported works making deliveries for Instacart, had stopped for gas at the BP station at 2000 3rd Avenue South before starting work. The suspect, later identified as Williams, approached the victim wearing a ski mask and pointed a white, older looking revolver at her after she had just finished putting gas in her car. Williams got into the driver’s seat and forced the woman to the passenger side.
The victim told police that Williams held a gun to her while driving around for about ten minutes. He then pulled over on the 2400 block of Pleasant Avenue South and forced the woman at gunpoint to perform oral sexual acts on him.
The woman determined that she was going to try to escape and pulled her own stun gun from her pocket. However, the stun gun didn’t work, but the woman was able to escape the vehicle and ran down the block calling for help. A nearby resident helped the victim into their house and called police.
A short time later, another resident found the abandoned vehicle in a nearby alley, still running, and called police.
Crime Watch continued to post with scanner updates that the suspect had possibly been involved in several other incidents in the same area both before and after the carjacking and sexual assault.
The complaint states that police were eventually flagged down by a concerned citizen who stated that a man in a three-hole ski mask was lurking near the gas pumps back at the BP gas station at 2000 3rd Avenue South. As officers approached, the suspect began to walk away but was quickly apprehended.
Upon arrest, a credit card that Williams had taken from the victim at the gas station was found in his pocket. Police also followed fresh footprints in the area and recovered a white-handled revolver from under a pick-up truck which matched the description provided by the victim. Later examination revealed the handgun to be a BB gun, the complaint said.
Williams made his first court appearance on the charges in Hennepin County court on Wednesday and was granted a public defender. Judge Carolina Lamas also ordered a competency evaluation for Williams to determine if he’s mentally fit to stand trial. A follow-up hearing on the competency evaluation is scheduled for Feb. 22, 2022.
Criminal history
Williams had just been arrested in Minneapolis on a charge of motor vehicle theft on Dec. 28, two weeks before the kidnapping and sexual assault. However, he was released from jail after 36 hours without being charged. The circumstances of the arrest aren’t immediately known, and it’s unclear at this time why the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office declined to charge Williams in the case.
Williams has several other open criminal cases in Hennepin County including first-degree burglary of an occupied dwelling, tampering with a motor vehicle, and indecent exposure. The indecent exposure case stems back to 2018.
Charges in the first-degree burglary case, which is classified as a violent crime, state that on Aug. 14, 2020, Williams broke into a home in north Minneapolis through a basement window. At the time, the home was occupied by a couple and their two children. The family escaped the home, and police deployed a K9 team to give warning to Williams to exit the home. Williams eventually surrendered and was taken into custody.
For reasons not made clear in the court record, Williams was not charged in the burglary case until June 2021 and was subsequently arrested on a warrant. After making his initial court appearance following arrest, Williams was ordered to be conditionally released with zero bail required by Judge Kerry Meyer.
Minnesota court records show that Williams has at least 36 prior convictions that include four felonies: terroristic threats; second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon; theft; and narcotics. Williams also has numerous convictions for driving after revocation.
All four of Williams’ felony convictions occurred in Hennepin County, and all four were stayed, meaning no prison time was imposed upon conviction.
Williams currently remains in custody in Hennepin County Jail on $500,000 bail and is scheduled to make his next court appearance on Feb. 4, with the competency hearing to follow on the 22nd.
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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.
