16-year-old from Minneapolis is arrested in Southdale shootings

By ABBY SIMONS and PAUL WALSH, Star Tribune staff writers

Last update: March 3, 2009 - 11:41 PM

A 16-year-old boy from Minneapolis is under arrest, having admitted to shooting two teenagers outside Southdale mall in Edina during a clash between gangs, police said Tuesday.

If certified as an adult, the Hennepin County attorney's office could charge the teen with attempted murder, Edina Police Chief Mike Siitari said Tuesday.

"A 16-year-old kid should be playing video games and basketball rather than bringing a loaded .45 semiautomatic weapon to a mall looking for a rival gang member," Siitari said. "There isn't much explanation for that."

The arrest was made late Monday at a Minneapolis home by Edina officers and members of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force, said Siitari, who added that the teenager was cooperative and led officers to a nearby snowbank where he threw away the gun and several casings. All were recovered.

The teen is believed to be the only shooter in the dispute Friday between rival Hispanic gangs Surenos 13 and Vatos Locos, Siitari said.

According to police: The suspect told detectives that he was involved in the shooting shortly after 6 p.m. in the parking lot near J.C. Penney. At least four shots from a .45-caliber handgun were fired during the clash.

Siitari said Tuesday that the rival gang members encountered one another inside the mall, where gang signs were flashed. Four members of the gangs squared off and a fight ensued, spilling into the parking lot. A member of Surenos 13 pulled the gun and fired.

A 15-year-old was shot in the leg and not seriously injured. An 18-year-old was shot in the stomach and required surgery. The 18-year-old is expected to survive, Siitari said. Authorities are withholding their identities.

Police are mulling over stricter regulations with the mall to prevent violence.

Sgt. Randy Olson of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force said law enforcement is seeing a spike in Latino gang recruitment, particularly as Latino youths arrive in the area, often looking for camaraderie and friendship. Because adult gang members know young people are rarely incarcerated long for criminal charges, young gang members are highly recruited. In areas such as Edina, he added, battles between rival gangs are generally over turf.

"It's more territorial for pride than for anything else," he said.

asimons@startribune.com • 612-673-4921 pwalsh@startribune.com • 612-673-4482

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