Clown Carrying Butcher Knife Arrested In Crookston

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A teenager wearing a full clown costume and carrying a butcher knife was arrested in northwestern Minnesota on Saturday night following a report that a boy was chased on his bike.

The Crookston Police Department says several reports came in Saturday of someone, or several people, dressed as a clown and standing in the streets.

One report from an 11-year-old boy had it that a clown and three to four other people chased him as he biked to Taco Johns. The boy was terrified, and when he got to the restaurant, he called his grandmother, who then called police.

Authorities say they found three teenagers – one 16-year-old girl and two 15-year-old boys – near the intersection of North Broadway and 4th Avenue North. One of the boys was wearing a clown costume and carrying a large kitchen knife.

The clown was arrested, and police say that criminal charges are pending for all three teenagers.

Police say that there is no public safety concern in regards to the arrest. They also warned that any sort of clown incident in which someone fears for their safety will be treated as a crime and investigated as such.

The creepy clown phenomenon has been seen across Minnesota and the nation in recent weeks, inundating police departments with calls. In several national cases, arrests have been made.