Off-duty Minneapolis officer "put his life on the line" taking felon with gun into custody, police say
MINNEAPOLIS — The head of Minneapolis police says one of his officers "put his life on the line" while taking an armed felon into custody over the weekend.
According to police, the incident happened outside a Uptown nightclub early Sunday morning as bars closed. There, a uniformed officer, who was working off-duty, was dealing with a fight at the club when he heard a gun "being racked," loading the gun, police said.
The man who racked the gun was standing outside a vehicle and when the officer confronted him, he resisted and the two fought with each other inside the vehicle, according to police. During the struggle, police said the man tried to drive away.
Video footage shows other officers arriving shortly after, at which point a Taser was used on the man, who was then removed from the vehicle and taken into custody.
"I can't commend this officer enough for literally putting his life on the line, like countless Minneapolis officers do everyday, to protect others," Chief Brian O'Hara said. "I'm very proud of and truly grateful for the men and women of MPD who are willing to risk their lives to keep the peace across our city."
Suspect released before charges filed, now faces active warrant
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office on Tuesday charged the 34-year-old Apple Valley man with one felony count for being a convicted felon in possession of a firearm.
According to details in the complaint, after the suspect racked the gun he told the crowd near him, "Te moves o te muevo," which roughly translates to, "Either you move, or I'll move you out of the way."
When the officer confronted him and told him to put down the gun, he placed it in the car but refused to comply with commands or get out of the vehicle.
After he was removed from the car and taken into custody, he told officers he was a felon and should not have had the handgun, the complaint said. He also allegedly told officers he was the bodyguard for a nearby nightclub and got the gun "from the streets."
The man was convicted in 2011 for aiding and abetting the distribution of methamphetamine and possession of a firearm.
According to jail records, the man was released from custody early Tuesday morning because the 48-hour deadline to charge him had expired. He was later charged that day and now faces an active warrant for his arrest.
If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.