On April 9, 2026, at about 11:30 A.M., MSP Airport Police were dispatched to a theft taking place at Hertz Car Rental, located at Terminal 1 of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, which is considered Hennepin County for jurisdictional purposes. A Hertz customer, Victim herein, returned his rental car and went downstairs before realizing he forgot his backpack in the car. He ran back to see if it was still there and retrieve it. On his way back, he saw the employee who signed his rental return and checked the car in, who was later identified as LEON WILLIAMS [DOB REDACTED], Defendant herein.
Victim asked Defendant if he found the bag, but Defendant avoided him. Upon checking the car, the backpack was no longer there. Officers reviewed surveillance footage which shows Defendant take the backpack out of the car, cover it with a jacket, and walk away from the rental car toward the employee parking area. Defendant denied taking the backpack, and it was not in his vehicle. Defendant admitted to going to McDonald's near Davern St in St. Paul since the bag was taken. Victim's headphones that were in his backpack were tracked to a garbage can at the Marathon gas station at Davern St and West 7th in St. Paul.
The backpack was recovered with everything in it except for about $400 cash. When Defendant was eventually found to have a total of $491 cash on his person, about half of which he had concealed in his sock until he was in an interview room. Defendant then admitted to taking the backpack, taking the cash, and discarding the backpack. Defendant is currently in custody at Hennepin County Jail.
