A man wanted in a shooting and six other men attending the funeral of the St. Paul teen killed last month at the Mall of America were searched by police Friday afternoon as they were leaving the services, prompting a manhunt. which led to a massive search in Minneapolis. ‘Dinkytown neighborhood.
Six of the seven men were arrested on various charges, including weapons possession and fleeing from police, St. Paul police Sgt. Mike Ernster, but the suspect in a December 12 shooting in St. Paul was still at large.
Ernster gave the following details about Friday’s events:
During the St. Paul funeral for 19-year-old Johntae Hudson, who was fatally shot Dec. 23 at the Mall of America, police officers at the church and cemetery saw a man with a gun and another man who was suspected in the non-fatal December 12. shooting.
The officers waited until after the service to confront the men.
At around 3:15 p.m., the two men got into a van with five other men leaving the cemetery. When the vehicle stopped at a gas station at Dale Street and Larpenteur Avenue, officers attempted to pull over the SUV to apprehend the men.
A man jumped and ran and was arrested. The man officers said had a gun at the funeral, and the man wanted in connection with the Dec. 12 shooting, was with four others in the truck as he fled. Police pursued the suspects as they fled down Larpenteur to Fairview Avenue and onto Minnesota 36.
From there, the vehicle fled south on Interstate 35W and onto University Avenue. The St. Paul officers lost sight of the van and other agencies began pursuit. The SUV was found abandoned near 11th Avenue and University Avenue in southeast Minneapolis.
Multiple agencies searched the Dinkytown area near the University of Minnesota and four 19-year-old men and an 18-year-old man were taken into custody.
Authorities say the 18-year-old man was the one allegedly seen with the gun at the funeral. Officers found a bag near him that contained a 9mm pistol and clothing that he was seen wearing to the services.
Two of the 19-year-olds were arrested with weapons. One had a 9mm pistol on him and the other had an AR pistol in a backpack.
All five men were booked into the Ramsey County Jail on various charges.
The suspect in the December 12 shooting has not been found and is still being sought by police.
Police say Hudson was killed during an exchange of gunfire at the Nordstrom store in the Bloomington mall. A dispute between two groups of youths led to the shooting, police said.
The shooting forced authorities to close the country’s largest shopping mall on one of the last days of the Christmas season.
Prosecutors charged four teens, one 18-year-old and three 17-year-olds, in the case.
