Two teens charged for shooting at Hennepin County deputy on I-94

MINNEAPOLIS -- Two teenagers have been charged for allegedly shooting at a Hennepin County Sheriff's deputy's squad car on Interstate 94 while fleeing a burglary.

Damon Davenport Jr. and Rashad Collins, both of whom are 18 years old, each face one count of attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, one count of first-degree assault, and one count of fleeing a peace officer. 

Charges say the incident stemmed from a burglary in Brooklyn Center; police were alerted to the building near 57th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North around 2:30 a.m. on Sept. 15. The burglary victim identified Davenport and Collins by name. 

The Hennepin County deputy was in his squad car, and learned the alleged burglars had left the area in a white Ford Fusion. The officer tried to initiate a traffic stop, but the Ford Fusion continued to drive erratically, documents say.

Near 51st Avenue North, the officer heard the sound of multiple gunshots. Then the Fusion continued on to Interstate 94 East and the officer followed with his sirens on, but a bullet struck the middle of his wind sheild, sending glass debris into the squad. The deputy eventually pulled over, and law enforcement was not able to find the Fusion again that night.

Investigators did find another 9mm bullet under the driver's seat of the squad car. There were five cartridge casings near North Aldrich and 51st avenues and 19 casings on the interstate.

The Ford Fusion, which was registered to Davenport, was found abandoned a day later roughly a mile from South High School in Minneapolis. Police found the gun that was used to shoot the officer during a raid of a recording studio on Prior Avenue North in St. Paul.

Davenport was arrested on Sept. 16, and his cell phone was seized. In it, officers found a video from July in which Davenport held a 9mm gun in his lap that had the same serial number as the one that fired at the officer. There were also multiple videos on the phone that had Collins in them.

An FBI special agent found cell phone records for Davenport and Collins, which put the phones' location at the Brooklyn Center burglary in the early morning of Sept. 15.

Both Collins and Davenport are in custody in connection to the Brooklyn Center burglary.