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Seward neighborhood vandalism suspect is released, but could still be charged

Suspects can't be held more than 36 hours without formal charges, police said.

By Katy Read

September 21, 2019 at 6:00PM

Burhan Elmi, co-owner of the cafe, left, chatted with John Torgeson, right, who works in emergency glass services, who had come to measure the windows and give him a quote for the repair. Two large windows at the Capitol Cafe and several other store windows were damaged along Franklin Avenue by a vandal recently in Minneapolis, Minn., on Thursday, September 19, 2019. (Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A suspect arrested Thursday in a series of vandalism incidents at East African-owned businesses in Minneapolis' Seward neighborhood has been released without charges, but police said he could still be charged.

Suspects can't be held more than 36 hours without formal charges, said Minneapolis Police spokesman John Elder. The suspect was released Friday because the 36-hour period was set to expire Saturday.

"This does not mean he will not be charged, we just needed a little more time to investigate," Elder said.

The 36-year-old suspect was identified in a surveillance video showing a man shattering store windows in the 2400 block of E. Franklin Avenue.

Hennepin County sheriff's deputies, who had received an alert, recognized the man and arrested him at the Hennepin County Government Center on Thursday. The Star Tribune is not naming the suspect because he hasn't been formally charged.

Katy Read • 612-673-4583

about the writer

Katy Read

Reporter

Katy Read writes for the Minnesota Star Tribune's Inspired section. She previously covered Carver County and western Hennepin County as well as aging, workplace issues and other topics since she began at the paper in 2011.