Minnesota police union files complaint against Hennepin Co. attorney for "unethical behavior" in Ryan Londregan case
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association has filed a formal complaint against Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, alleging she acted unethically in prosecuting a state trooper who shot and killed a driver during a traffic stop.
The police union's complaint, filed with the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board Tuesday, alleged Moriarty and her office "violated several of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct" in charging Minnesota State Patrol trooper Ryan Londregan.
"Moriarty's conduct is beneath the dignity of her office. Yet rather than acknowledge her errors in judgment or the deficiencies in the process she oversaw, Moriarty has repeatedly called her unjustifiable prosecution of an innocent man not only 'ethical,' but 'courageous,'" the complaint said. "This body should not abide such brazen disregard for the responsibilites of any attorney, but particularly not for the elected prosecutor of this state's largest county."
In a statement to WCCO, the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said, "This is an unsurprising action by the MPPOA, an organization that has consistently lobbied against attempts to hold law enforcement accountable and opposed regulations that would ban law enforcement from being involved in white supremacist groups. That's all we will say on the matter, and will instead continue doing our work."
Londregan fatally shot Ricky Cobb II on July 31, 2023, after he and another Minnesota State Patrol trooper pulled Cobb over for inactive taillights. After finding out Cobb was wanted in Ramsey County for violating a no-contact order, the troopers demanded he get out of his car.
Body camera footage shows Cobb refusing before driving away when a trooper tried to unbuckle his seat belt. That's when Londregan shot Cobb twice.
Cobb's car stayed in motion, causing the other trooper to fall to the ground. After the vehicle stopped, Cobb was found dead inside.
Moriarty's office charged Londregan with second-degree unintentional murder, first-degree assault and second-degree manslaughter in January, and he subsequently pleaded not guilty. In June, the charges against Londregan were dropped. Moriarty said her office learned new information about Londregan's planned testimony and state patrol training that would "make it impossible" to prove the case against Londregan.
The police union's complaint alleges Moriarty and her office "repeatedly courted pretrial publicity that they knew would be substantially likely to materially prejudice a jury"; "knowingly [made] false statements of fact while representing the State against Trooper Londregan"; and engaged in "conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice."
The complaint accuses Moriarty of making "numerous extrajudicial statements" in news releases, statements and on social media that would "be substantially likely to materially prejudice a jury." Some of the comments cited include allegations about Londregan disregarding his training in killing Cobb, which the complaint alleges were "knowingly false." The complaint states at least two use-of-force experts, plus other law enforcement members, told Moriarty's office Londregan's actions did not warrant charges.
The police union also takes issue with the criminal complaint filed against Londregan, saying a trainer quoted in the complaint later said it "lies by omission" and "purposefully mislead[s] the reader" regarding his comments. The police union complaint also states Moriarty "repeatedly claimed that none of the troopers on the scene told Cobb he was under arrest," but in the complaint her office filed, a trooper is quoted as saying, "This is now a lawful arrest" to Cobb.
The final allegation in the complaint is that Moriarty fell "far short of acting as a minister of justice" in the Londregan case.
"Taken together, Moriarty's conduct can be explained only by a desire to prosecute a peace officer — regardless of the facts — to achieve political ends," the filing states.