Back-to-back Eden Prairie attacks start with man assaulted, robbed in Life Time Fitness

A bloody ambush robbery of a Life Time Fitness member in an Eden Prairie locker room left the man badly beaten, and one of his two assailants unleashed a similar attack on a resident in a randomly chosen home in the city about an hour later, according to charges filed Tuesday.

Arrested and charged in the Sunday attack at Life Time Fitness were Dalal B. Idd, 18, of Eden Prairie, and Kamal E. Maqadin, 26, of Shakopee. Both remain jailed pending appearances Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.

The fitness center victim was punched repeatedly Sunday afternoon by Idd and left "barely conscious" on the floor of the downstairs locker room with cuts to his face, a broken nose and eyes that were swollen shut, the complaint said.

Idd and Maqadin admitted to police that they carried out the attack, the complaint added. Club officials are piecing together how the intruders swiftly got deep inside the members-only club.

Idd also assaulted a deputy after his arrest and "is a suspect in other assault cases," the complaint said. Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson had no information on the officer's condition.

According to the complaint and police reports regarding the first attack:

About 5:50 p.m., a man in the locker room at the Life Time Fitness on Baker Road was approached by Idd and Maqadin, whom he did not know. Idd punched the man five or six times before robbing him and fleeing in a minivan, the complaint said.

Life Time spokesman Jason Thunstrom said Tuesday that his company and police are reviewing video surveillance footage from the door to the locker room as well as from the staffed check-in area to see how the men got into the members area.

Entry for club members, guests and potential new members is allowed only at the check-in desk. The employee at the check-in area "attempted to have these people wait, and they did not," Thunstrom said. The staffer followed security procedures and notified the rest of the staff in an effort "to find these individuals and notify authorities," the spokesman added.

But the two "clearly did not" waste any time carrying out the attack, Thunstrom said. "They were bound and determined to commit such an act."

While there are thefts from time to time in locker rooms at Life Time Fitness locations, Thunstrom said that incidents as violent as Sunday's are unheard of for the 20-year-old Chanhassen-based company, which has 108 facilities in 23 states and one in Canada.

According to the complaint in the home invasion, Idd told police he chose the home in the 8000 block of Grier Lane for his second assault for no particular reason. The victim's wife said she heard the door open to the attached garage, followed by sounds of her husband being beaten. Idd then started walking toward her and her two children, it added, but her screams sent him running.

The man suffered many facial fractures, including to his cheek and jaw. He had no memory of the attack.

Police, acting on information from witnesses, arrested both men at the Prairie Meadows Apartments on Westwind Drive, a few blocks east of the second crime scene.

Idd told investigators that he attacked the fitness center member and took his wallet and cellphone. The victim's wallet was in Idd's pants pocket. Maqadin admitted being with Idd during the assault and taking the victim's wallet from his accomplice as they fled the locker room.

Idd was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery and third-degree assault in the Life Time Fitness case and with several first-degree assault counts in the second case. Maqadin was charged with robbery in the Life Time Fitness case.

Both victims are hospitalized at Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis.