A Normandale Community College student asked to stay after class on Wednesday violently attacked two teachers before fleeing the Bloomington campus on foot, leaving behind a loaded pistol in his backpack, according to charges filed Thursday.
Gavin M. Hutson, 21, of St. Paul, was arrested in a nearby parking ramp and charged in Hennepin County District Court with felony assault, misdemeanor assault and carrying a pistol without a permit.
According to the criminal complaint, Hutson was attending class in the science building when his instructor requested he stay behind to "discuss an inappropriate remark he made to another student." He complied, but then hit the female teacher, knocking her to the floor, where she lost consciousness.
A witness told police that Hutson then stood over the instructor and continued punching her, court records show. The witness yelled for help and a second faculty member arrived to try and pull Hutson away. Hutson turned and attacked that professor, who suffered a cut to his forehead, charges say.
He then fled the classroom on foot and, in his rush to escape, "stiff-armed" a fellow student into the hallway wall. Bloomington police located him in a nearby ramp, where authorities say he had blood on his hands and shirt.
Back in the classroom, investigators found Hutson's backpack with a .40 caliber Smith & Wesson semi-automatic pistol inside. The gun was loaded and had additional ammo, according to the complaint.
The female teacher was briefly hospitalized with broken bones to her face, while the male teacher suffered less serious injuries.
On Thursday, the Minnesota State College Faculty union called for new investments and training in campus safety to prevent future attacks.
