On October 9, 2025, police received a report of a theft that had occurred on October 5, 2025. The reporting party worked as a traffic engineer, and he had previously set up three surveillance cameras at an intersection in Burnsville, Dakota County, Minnesota. When he had returned to collect the cameras on October 8, 2025, he found that a camera and a battery pack from a different camera were stolen. Two cords running to the cameras were also damaged. In reviewing the surveillance footage, one of the cameras was heavily jostled and the camera rotated on October 5, 2025, at 4:39 P.M. The cameras were located next to a business with surveillance cameras that showed a suspect shaking the street sign that one of the cameras was attached to at approximately 4:39 P.M. On October 5, 2025. The suspect then entered a maroon pickup truck.
On October 10, 2025, staff from this business reported to police that the maroon pickup truck was located at the business. An officer responded and located the truck, which registered to THOMAS ALOYS RAFAEL [DOB REDACTED]. Known photographs of RAFAEL appeared to resemble the male in the business’s surveillance videos. While at the business, officers observed RAFAEL get into the truck and drive it a short distance. An officer approached on foot and told RAFAEL that he was being detained to investigate the theft.
During the course of this interaction with police, RAFAEL took off running on foot through the business. Officers chased RAFAEL and took him into custody. RAFAEL made excited utterances about government conspiracies and the president. A second business later provided surveillance video to police from October 5, 2025, around 4:30 P.M. This video showed RAFAEL approach the street sign with the surveillance video attached and pulling the camera down by the cord, consistent with the damage observed by the traffic engineer.
Receipts to replace the damaged and missing surveillance camera equipment were provided to police. The replacement value was more than $7,000.
