A grieving Vikings fan was seeking the comfort of home after Sunday's bitter defeat. But after a day of tailgating, he wound up in the back of a squad car after breaking into the police department headquarters at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
"He went in and thought he was at home," State Fair police spokeswoman Brooke Blakey said.
Blakey said the 30-year-old man appeared to be under the influence of alcohol and was tailgating at the fairgrounds before he entered the station, which resembles a house.
Patrol officers responded about 4 p.m. to a possible burglary at the substation located at 1520 Cosgrove St. in Falcon Heights.
Officers surrounded the building with the confused fan still inside. Moments later, an officer could be heard yelling at the man, telling him not to move, according to police scanner audio of the incident posted on the MN Police Clips Facebook page.
"Get down. I got one at gunpoint … stay on the ground," the officer said, according to the posted audio.
The tailgater was arrested, booked into the Ramsey County jail and released, Blakey said. She said trespassing charges are pending.
Karen Zamora
