At around 11:30 PM on December 7, 2025, officers responded to the 300 block of Hyacinth Avenue East, St. Paul, Ramsey County on two men stealing wires from streetlights. A 911 caller saw a man wearing a jacket over a black hoodie and jeans and a second man wearing a tan jacket over a red hoodie tampering with streetlights. Officers spoke to MEDJ who lives on the block. MEDJ saw two possibly Asian men tampering with a streetlight outside his home. MEDJ went outside and confronted the two men who said something in a language MEDJ didn’t understand and fled.
MEDJ saw the second streetlight west of his address wasn’t working. MEDJ said the light was working an hour before he called 911. Officers located two streetlights that had been tampered with. One of the lights was off – its faceplate had been removed, and internal wires had been cut. Officers found a handwarmer in the snow by the first streetlight. The second streetlight functioned, but the bolt holding its faceplate in place had been removed. Officers saw footprints in the snow by both streetlights.
Officers located TOE LUI HSAR [DOB REDACTED] and MOO SAY [DOB REDACTED] walking in the area. Hsar and Say matched the 911 caller’s descriptions of the thieves. Officers told the two men to stop. Hsar stopped. Say fled on foot, but he was caught after a foot chase. Say had a Milwaukee hand drill in his jacket. The drill held a bit that would remove streetlight faceplates allowing access to wires. Officers recovered a handwarmer on Say. Officers found a wire-cutter in Hsar’s front right pocket. Hsar declined a custodial statement.
Say was advised of his constitutional rights and agreed to speak to police. Say admitted to being by the streetlights, but he denied damaging them or trying to steal copper wiring. Say claimed lots of people walk around with drills on them.
