Several disturbances broke out in Roseville Thursday night that had police scrambling to several locations to quell the disruptions and violence.
One of the incidents resulted in three people being cut or stabbed. Following another incident, police determined a report of a shooting was unfounded.
The disturbances began just after 7:30 p.m. at Roseville High School, when dispatch audio indicated that police were on site of a disturbance in the parking lot involving about 200 people. Police requested assistance from Ramsey County deputies and New Brighton police to help disperse the crowd. Just before 8 p.m., police indicated that the majority of the crowd was dispersed.
Several minutes later, just after 8 p.m., police were dispatched to a Chick-fil-A near HarMar Mall on Snelling Avenue for a group causing a disturbance. Responders indicated that it was the same group from the high school. Police briefly called the disturbance inside the restaurant under control by 8:15 p.m., but police were dispatched back to the location at about 8:45 p.m. on a report of a stabbing.
Several squads responded, and one officer aired that there was a large crowd with about 100-150 people present. Another officer said that about 30-40 people were “trying to get an unknown female.” Another officer said the crowd was trying to break the door at Chick-fil-A and that one male successfully broke the glass in the door.
Squads from Mounds View arrived to assist with dispersing the crowd, and police called the Chick-fil-A situation under control by 9 p.m.
About five minutes later, police were dispatched to Raising Cane’s about a mile away at 2420 Fairview Avenue for a group of 20 who had arrived at the location and were fighting in the parking lot. There was reported to be blood, according to dispatch audio. Shortly thereafter, the dispatcher said there was a report of a shooting.
When police arrived, they determined that no one had been shot. Again, police said the situation was under control at about 9:20 p.m.
The dispatcher aired to police around 9:30 p.m. that a person who was stabbed in the Chick-fil-A incident had shown up at Regions hospital.
Several video clips were submitted to Crime Watch which showed the fights and disturbances at Chick-fil-A from several different perspectives.
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Video from the Roseville Chick-fil-A incident that appears to show one or more people with knives during a brawl.Before 9:30 p.m., a person who was stabbed showed up at Regions reportedly related to the incident. pic.twitter.com/cRXODjzJnt
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) March 8, 2024
At least one of the videos appeared to show a female wielding what appeared to be a knife or sharp object. The same female was seen running through a crowd with people chasing her. At one point, she appeared to swing at a random person standing near a vehicle.
Other videos showed several males chasing, attacking, and kicking the female who had the sharp object, as well as another female who appeared to stand over the female on the ground in an apparent attempt to fend off the attackers.
A brief image of a police officer could be seen in one of the videos standing inside a doorway with broken glass on the ground as the crowd outside chased down the female.
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) March 9, 2024
The Pioneer Press reported on Friday that Roseville Area High School (RAHS) Principal Jen Wilson wrote in a message to district staff and families that the disturbance at the high school followed an annual event hosted by the school’s Black Student Union.
“[T]he large crowd gathered in the parking lot and refused to leave school grounds,” Wilson wrote, according to the Pioneer Press. “RAHS leadership in partnership with the RAHS school resource officer and Roseville Police Department ordered the crowd to leave school grounds. Upon leaving school property, it’s reported that some of the attendees moved to businesses near HarMar Mall and Rosedale Center — resulting in ongoing disturbances that required police intervention.”
Roseville Deputy Police Chief Joe Adams told the Pioneer Press that it “was extremely chaotic.”
Police told media that three people had been injured by a sharp object believed to be a knife, including two who were treated at the hospital. All injuries were reported to be non-life-threatening. Police said no citations were issued, and no arrests had been made.
Roseville police told media that the incidents in their city remain under investigation.
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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.
