A 39-year-old Minneapolis man is charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. Police say he struck a Bloomington convenience store clerk with an umbrella after she caught him concealing merchandise. When officers caught up with him days later, he seemed surprised that anyone had come looking.
Police said it started June 18 at the Holiday Stationstore at 7901 Nicollet Ave. An employee saw the man hiding merchandise and confronted him. He hit her with an umbrella and knocked the phone out of her hand, according to Bloomington Police Commander Eric Kittelson.
4 days later, on June 22, an officer spotted him near Interstate 494 and Portland Avenue. Police said he was still wearing the same clothes from the incident at the Holiday. When officers questioned him, he reportedly asked whether he was being arrested over "a stupid soda."
Police didn't arrest him over a soda. Prosecutors charged him June 23 with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon. That's a felony, and a conviction carries up to 7 years in prison and a fine of $4,200 to $14,000.
The case shows how a shoplifting stop can turn into something much bigger.
