Fridley Man Charged With Attempted Murder After Robbery
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Brooklyn Park police say a gunman is behind bars after his plan to rob someone fell apart.
Nathaniel Reynolds, 21, of Fridley is charged with attempted murder after police say he tried to steal from a garage unit at the Willows Apartments in Brooklyn Park last Wednesday.
"Police always frequent the area so I was taken aback to hear that somebody was trying to rob somebody," said neighbor Willie Jarue.
Jarue, who lives at the Willows Apartments along 65th Avenue North, describes a usually calm complex.
That wasn't the case Wednesday night around 11.
"The victim reported that he had come out to his cousin's garage and see three men inside of the garage doing a burglary," said Brooklyn Park Deputy Chief Mark Bruley.
Bruley says the 29-year-old victim, whose name has not been released, confronted the burglars.
That's when charges say Reynolds turned violent.
Police say Reynolds ordered the victim to get on his knees. When the man refused, Reynolds put the gun to the man's temple.
"The suspect took the gun, put it to victim's head and pulled the trigger. It didn't go off," Bruley said. "He then manipulated the weapon by racking the slide and put it to his head again, the gun didn't go off."
Police are looking at the gun to see what went wrong. They were able to arrest Reynolds after the victim started to chase him, yelling for neighbors to call 911.
Neighbors not only called for help, but some tackled the suspect, standing guard over him until officers arrived.
Bruley says the victim and bystanders were brave but mostly lucky.
"I can only imagine that he was terrified like anybody would be," said Bruley. "We always recommend that you never confront, unless you absolutely have to, never confront someone conducting a burglary or robbery like that. Retreat and call 911."
WCCO did reach out to Reynold's attorney but hasn't heard back.
Reynolds has a probation violation hearing Tuesday morning related to a past robbery.
Brooklyn Park police are looking for two other men who they say were with Reynolds Wednesday night burglarizing the area who ran away.
One man is 6-feet-2-inches, approximately 20 years old and goes by the name "Lil Mo." The other is 5-feet-5 inches, about 22 years old and goes by the name "Tall Lord."
