Man Accused Of Causing Train Accident, Fleeing Police In Fridley
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A 24-year-old Brooklyn Center man is accused of assault, pointing a gun at another man that led to a train accident and fleeing police in Fridley, according to charges filed in Anoka County Court.
Charles Lee Jackson was charged with second-degree assault and fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle in connection with the incident, which happened early Sunday morning.
According to the charges, Fridley police were called at about 12:42 a.m. to railroad tracks on Osborne Road on a report of a fight. When officers arrived, they saw that a car had been hit by a train. The vehicle's occupants were able to get out and were not injured.
The vehicle's owner said he was at the SuperAmerica up the road when they ran into a man, identified as Jackson. The man said Jackson stared them down, exchanged some words and said there was going to be a bang before going to the trunk of his car and grabbing what appeared to be a gun. The man said Jackson pointed the gun at their car, so he sped off.
The complaint states Jackson followed them, and the man tried to get his vehicle around railroad crossing arms before being hit by a train. Jackson sped away when officers arrived to the scene. The vehicle's owner said a passenger in his car also fled because he didn't want to get arrested. The driver told police his passenger knew Jackson, and the two had bad blood.
Officers eventually tracked down Jackson near the area of 75th Avenue and 5th Street in Fridley. They brought Jackson back to the original scene, and the other driver identified him as the person who pointed the gun at him.
If convicted, Jackson faces up to 10 years in jail and nearly $20,000 in fines.