Savage Man Facing Five Felony Charges in Connection to July I-35E Road Rage Shooting in Eagan
Published: August 19, 2026
EAGAN, MINNESOTA: More than a month after gunfire erupted during an apparent road rage confrontation on I-35E in Eagan, prosecutors have charged a 20-year-old Savage man with five felonies, after investigators allege traffic cameras, cellphone location data, surveillance footage and evidence recovered from a storage unit helped connect him to the shooting.
Antonio Carlos Grajeda Jr., 20, of Savage, has been charged in Dakota County District Court with two counts of felony drive-by shooting toward an occupied motor vehicle or building and three counts of felony second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Antonio Carlos Grajeda Jr. is now in custody as of Wednesday night per Dakota County Jail roster.
The charges stem from the July 11 shooting on northbound I- 35E near Diffley Road in Eagan, an incident Limitless Media News first reported as it unfolded. No injuries were reported in the shooting, but prosecutors now allege two separate vehicles carrying a total of three people were struck by gunfire.
The allegations contained in the criminal complaint are accusations. Grajeda is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Road Rage Encounter Allegedly Escalates to Gunfire
According to the criminal complaint, officers were dispatched at approximately 5:16 p.m. July 11, 2026, for a weapons call on northbound I-35E near Deerwood Drive in Eagan, Minnesota. Investigators initially encountered a woman, identified in court documents as Victim 3, whose vehicle was stopped along the interstate.
The woman told investigators she had been driving northbound when she noticed a white pickup truck swerving through traffic before getting behind a gray sedan. According to the complaint, the gray sedan repeatedly swerved, preventing the white pickup from passing, and the two vehicles nearly collided.
Near Diffley Road, the white pickup eventually passed the sedan. That was when the encounter allegedly turned into a shooting. Victim 3 told investigators she heard approximately four or five gunshots. She attempted to move away from the pickup but then heard glass breaking, prompting her to pull onto the shoulder and call 911.
After stopping, she realized her vehicle had apparently been struck by a projectile.
Officers examining her vehicle observed a dent in the hood and impact damage to the windshield, according to the complaint. Investigators determined the projectile had come from in front of the woman's vehicle. Police also recovered a spent 9mm shell casing from the left shoulder of northbound I-35E shortly before the Diffley Road intersection.
Gray Sedan Also Struck Multiple Times
Investigators were then directed to a nearby business, where they located a second vehicle allegedly struck by the gunfire. That vehicle, a gray sedan, had been occupied by two people identified in the complaint as Victim 1 and Victim 2. Victim 1 told investigators he was driving northbound on I-35E when a white pickup approached from behind and began "messing with him," according to the complaint.
When the pickup eventually passed his sedan on the passenger side, Victim 1 told investigators he made an obscene hand gesture toward the pickup's driver. He then heard gunfire and realized someone was shooting at his vehicle, according to the complaint. The passenger, Victim 2, told investigators he had been asleep in the front passenger seat but woke up when he heard the shots.
Police impounded the gray sedan and later searched the vehicle. Investigators allegedly identified four suspected bullet defects. According to the complaint, one projectile struck the front hood and traveled through the engine compartment. Another struck the passenger-side door below the side mirror. Investigators recovered a silver-colored projectile and copper-colored jacket from inside that door.
Two additional defects were discovered in the hood and windshield, which investigators believed had been caused by the same projectile. Despite the gunfire striking both vehicles, authorities reported no injuries.
Traffic Cameras Lead Investigators to White Ford F-150
As the investigation continued, police reviewed traffic-camera footage from the area around the time of the shooting. According to the complaint, investigators identified a white Ford F-150 as the suspected vehicle and determined it was registered to Grajeda.
Police were allegedly able to track the pickup on cameras both before and after the shooting. Investigators noticed what they considered a significant change in the truck's appearance: the rear window was intact before the shooting, but the driver's side of the rear window appeared broken afterward.
That finding became particularly significant as investigators gathered additional evidence concerning the truck.
Cellphone Data Places Grajeda Near Shooting, Complaint Alleges
Investigators obtained location information for Grajeda's cellphone. According to the criminal complaint, the data placed his phone near I- 35E and Diffley Road at the time of the shooting. The phone then traveled to a nearby apartment complex.
Investigators obtained surveillance video from that complex, allegedly showing Grajeda standing near the white pickup with four other people who had already been in the parking lot before he arrived. The complaint alleges that the group appeared to remove glass and other debris from the pickup's bed.
They also allegedly covered the truck's damaged rear window with plastic and placed tape over what appeared to be bullet holes in the tailgate. Investigators further allege Grajeda moved several containers from the area into another vehicle while in the parking lot.
Police Search Savage Residence
The investigation continued for several weeks. On July 29, officers executed a search warrant at Grajeda's residence, according to the complaint. During the search, investigators seized Grajeda's cellphone, keys to the Ford F-150, and a locked gun safe.
Inside the gun safe, investigators allegedly found empty magazines for a .40-caliber handgun and a 9mm handgun, along with the title to the Ford F-150.
However, police did not locate the Ford F-150 or a 9mm handgun during the search, according to the complaint.
Tailgate Allegedly Found Hidden in Storage Unit
Two days later, on July 31, investigators executed another search warrant, this time at a storage unit rented by Grajeda. Police allegedly discovered that a key attached to the Ford F-150, previously seized from Grajeda's residence, could be used to open the storage unit.
Inside, investigators found a truck tailgate that appeared to match the tailgate from the Ford F-150 involved in the shooting, according to the complaint. Investigators observed two defects in the tailgate that they believed were bullet holes. The apparent trajectory of those holes added another piece to investigators' reconstruction of what may have happened inside the pickup.
According to the complaint, both defects appeared to have been caused by projectiles traveling from the passenger cabin toward the rear of the truck. Investigators also reviewed records and surveillance footage from the storage facility. Grajeda's access code was allegedly used to enter the facility on July 14, three days after the shooting, and again on July 24.
Surveillance footage from outside the storage unit allegedly showed Grajeda and another person placing the tailgate into the storage unit on July 14.
Investigators Examine Data From Grajeda's Phone
Police also conducted a forensic data extraction of Grajeda's cellphone. According to the complaint, investigators found that approximately one hour after the shooting, one of the people seen with Grajeda in the apartment-complex surveillance footage sent him several screenshots containing updates about the shooting.
Investigators said the cellphone extraction also corroborated the location information they had previously obtained. Police further determined that Grajeda's cellphone last connected to the Ford F-150 on July 13, two days after the shooting, according to the complaint.
The criminal complaint does not state that investigators have recovered the pickup or the firearm allegedly used in the shooting.
Five Felony Charges Filed
Grajeda now faces five felony counts stemming from the July 11 incident. Counts 1 and 2 charge him with drive-by shooting toward an occupied motor vehicle or building. Each count carries a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and/or a $20,000 fine. The complaint also references Minnesota's firearm sentencing statute.
Counts 3, 4 and 5 charge Grajeda with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Each carries a statutory maximum sentence of seven years in prison and/or a $14,000 fine, according to the complaint.
The multiple counts correspond with prosecutors' allegations involving the occupied vehicles and three alleged victims.
The filing of multiple charges does not mean any eventual sentences would necessarily be imposed consecutively or that Grajeda would receive the statutory maximum penalties if convicted. Sentencing would depend on the counts of conviction, Minnesota sentencing law, the applicable sentencing guidelines, and the court's decisions.
Warrant Issued
Dakota County Sheriff's Office records reviewed by Limitless Media News show a warrant for Grajeda was issued August 19, 2026. The sheriff's office lists Grajeda as 20 years old and identifies Savage as his city of residence.
The warrant is associated with the felony drive-by shooting charge under Minnesota Statute 609.66, subdivision 1e(a), and is identified as a "Body-Only" warrant. A body-only warrant generally requires the person named in the warrant to be brought before a judge, rather than allowing it to be resolved simply by posting a predetermined amount of money before a court appearance.
The warrant information reviewed Wednesday did not list a dollar bail amount.
Limitless Media First Reported Shooting July 11
Limitless Media News first reported the shooting on July 11, 2026, shortly after Eagan Police and the Minnesota State Patrol responded to northbound I-35E. At the time, authorities described the incident as an apparent road rage confrontation in which one driver fired multiple rounds at another vehicle. Police initially reported that no one had been struck by the gunfire and that investigators were still searching for the suspect driver and vehicle.
The following day, July 12, Eagan police released additional information and asked the public to help identify the suspect. Police said they were looking for a 2010-2014 white Ford F-150 four-door pickup with black door handles, gray rocker panels, a black tonneau cover and visible rust around the driver's-side rear wheel well or fender.
The driver was described at the time as a White male with long dark hair. Police said the pickup had last been seen traveling northbound on I-35E near Lone Oak Road after the shooting.
Grajeda has been charged, but the allegations against him have not been proven in court. He is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Limitless Media News will continue to follow the case as it moves through the Dakota County District Court.
