Man Charged After Allegedly Grabbing Officer’s Gun Magazine During Minneapolis Arrest
Hennepin County Jail Booking Photo
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: A man is facing two felony charges after prosecutors allege he reached for an officer’s duty weapon, partially ripped the holster from the officer’s belt and removed the gun’s magazine while resisting arrest at a Minneapolis Walgreens.
Demetrius Ramon Hart has been charged in Hennepin County District Court with felony disarming a peace officer, felony fourth-degree assault of a peace officer involving bodily fluids and gross misdemeanor obstruction of the legal process.
According to the criminal complaint, officers responded to a reported shoplifting at a Walgreens on Central Avenue Northeast at approximately 7:40 p.m. on Aug. 24.
A store employee provided officers with a description of the suspected shoplifter, and Walgreens security confirmed that a man located inside the store was the person suspected in the theft, according to the probable cause statement.
Officers approached the man, later identified as Hart, and attempted to detain him. The complaint alleges Hart walked away before officers caught up with him and attempted to place him in handcuffs.
Hart allegedly resisted by tensing his arms and pulling away, prompting officers to take him to the ground. Prosecutors allege he continued pulling his arms away and kicking at officers as additional officers arrived to assist.
Before officers were able to handcuff Hart, he allegedly reached for an officer’s duty weapon and partially ripped the officer’s holster from her duty belt. According to the complaint, Hart successfully removed the magazine from the duty weapon and held it in his hand before officers recovered it and placed him in handcuffs.
Hart allegedly continued kicking at officers as they walked him to a squad car.
Once inside the squad, Hart told officers he was overdosing on fentanyl, according to the complaint. Officers searched Hart and his backpack and allegedly recovered suspected narcotics paraphernalia, seven cellphones, multiple pairs of sunglasses, a pocketknife and merchandise allegedly taken from Walgreens.
A store employee identified the merchandise and determined its value to be $346.54, according to the complaint.
Hart was transported to Hennepin County Medical Center for evaluation and was later medically cleared and discharged.
When officers informed Hart that he would be handcuffed and transported to the Hennepin County jail, he allegedly refused to comply and threatened to spit at officers.
The complaint alleges Hart then gathered saliva in his mouth and spit toward officers, striking one officer on the right side of her face. He was subsequently handcuffed and transported to jail.
The disarming-a-peace-officer charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine. The fourth-degree assault charge carries a maximum of three years and/or a $6,000 fine. The obstruction charge is a gross misdemeanor.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint are accusations. Hart is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.