Three men have been charged following an afternoon drive-by shooting in Maplewood last week where police say 44 spent shell casings were found. Bullets entered residences, shattered windows at two apartment buildings, and struck three vehicles, charges say.
A pursuit of the suspect vehicle ended in the city of St. Anthony over 15 miles away where the vehicle crashed, sheared a utility pole in half, and struck a townhome. The three occupants fled into a busy residential and shopping area before being apprehended, with one of them being tased during the foot pursuit.
Davion Lazarick Gaines, 20, of north Minneapolis, Elias-Kareem Hany Aly, 20, of St. Paul, and De’Voncea Lashoun Griffo, 23, of Little Canada have been charged in Ramsey County with one felony count each of drive-by shooting toward an occupied vehicle or building for the June 13 incident. Aly and Griffo have each been charged with an additional felony count of possession of a firearm by an ineligible person.
Maplewood police responded around 1:30 p.m. to apartments on Clarence Street North after receiving multiple reports of shots fired. Witnesses told police a black Dodge Charger with yellow racing stripes occupied by multiple black males drove through the parking lot while shooting out of the windows. Some witnesses told police that it appeared that occupants of the Charger were shooting at an individual inside one of the vehicles that was struck.
One of the damaged vehicles had its front passenger and driver’s side windows shattered. Another vehicle had bullet holes in the driver’s side, and a third had bullet holes in the front and rear passenger side, the complaint states. There were no injuries reported at the time.
Police also reviewed surveillance video that picked up the sound of multiple rounds of gunshots in rapid succession as the Charger circled the apartment buildings while firing shots.
State Patrol eventually engaged the suspect vehicle as it left the area of the shooting. Charges say the vehicle reached speeds of over 100 mph during the pursuit that traveled along 35E, 694 and 35W, eventually exiting off Highway 88 in the New Brighton-Roseville area. The pursuit continued westbound toward Hennepin County with the suspect vehicle crashing in a residential area adjacent to the Silver Lake Village Shopping Center off 39th Avenue Northeast and Stinson Boulevard Northeast in St. Anthony.
Several photos were posted online of the aftermath of the crash.
— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) June 14, 2022
Several witnesses observed three males exit the suspect vehicle and flee on foot; at least two were wearing balaclava-style masks over their faces and were wearing or carrying blue medical gloves. All three were eventually apprehended with Griffo being tased during apprehension. The St. Anthony Police Department assisted in the search and apprehension of the suspects.
Dispatch audio at the time indicated that a gun was found discarded on Silver Lane. The criminal complaint confirms that officers recovered a stolen Glock 20 with an extended magazine and “switch,” which is an accessory that can render a gun to fire automatically, sitting on the shoulder of the street on the 2500 block of Silver Lane.
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Another pic from one of our followers.
One of the guns was found on Silver Lane. pic.twitter.com/Pl0ITBECF1— CrimeWatchMpls (@CrimeWatchMpls) June 15, 2022
Officers also recovered three more guns, including a Glock 45 with a 50‐round drum magazine and a switch, and a stolen Glock 21 with an extended magazine, both on nearby walking paths near Silver Lake. Another Glock 30S was found underneath a vehicle in a parking lot on the 4000 block of Stinson Boulevard where Aly was observed reaching down toward the vehicle.
Griffo and Aly both have other pending weapons cases, and both have prior felony convictions making them ineligible to possess firearms.
Jail records indicate that Gaines was released from custody prior to appearing in court on the new charge, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest. An explanation as to why Gaines was released prior to a hearing wasn’t immediately available from authorities.
Griffo and Aly made initial court appearances on the new charges late last week. Aly supplied a $200,000 bond and has been released from custody. Griffo remained in custody as of Thursday night, also requiring a $200,000 bail amount for release.
The Ramsey County criminal complaint doesn’t make clear who was driving the Charger during the pursuit and crash but does indicate that the plates came back to a Charger that had been stolen out of Minneapolis earlier in the day on June 13. Information wasn’t immediately available as to whether any of the three will face further charges in Ramsey County for the crash in St. Anthony, which caused extensive property damage, or in Hennepin County related to the stolen vehicle.
Griffo and Aly are both scheduled to make their next court appearances on July 14.
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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.
