On April 11, 2026, Minneapolis Police officers were dispatched to the area of 18th Street and Chicago Avenue in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota on the report of a pedestrian that was dragged by a vehicle and lying in the street. Officers responded and located a known adult male, Victim herein, lying face down on the pavement. An officer, paramedics, and hospital providers attempted life-saving measures, but Victim succumbed to his injuries upon arrival at the hospital and was pronounced deceased.
Victim sustained catastrophic injuries from being dragged and run over by a vehicle resulting in his death. These injuries include multiple cardiac and aortic lacerations, a laceration of a lung, pneumothorax, hemothorax, multiple rib fractures, a femur fracture, complete amputation of a toe, and blunt force trauma injuries to nearly every surface of his head and body. Investigation revealed that this crime was captured on multiple surveillance cameras. This video included video from MetroTransit that very clearly depicted the face of the person who stole Victim’s vehicle and drove away dragging him and running him over resulting in his death.
Multiple law enforcement officers and a civilian viewed images from this video and identified GERALD NICOLAS CEPEDA, DEFENDANT herein, as the driver of Victim’s vehicle at the time of this incident. The video surveillance captured Victim arriving in his white van to the area of Chicago and Franklin while Defendant was loitering in the area near the bus stop and along one of the buildings. Victim let some of his dogs out of the vehicle and spoke with several individuals in the area before returning to the driver’s side of his vehicle.
Victim then got out of his vehicle a second time and walked over to a couple of individuals on the sidewalk. As Victim walked a few feet away from his vehicle, Defendant ran over and jumped into the driver’s seat of his van. Seeing this, Victim ran back to his vehicle and stopped Defendant from shutting the driver’s side door by grabbing the door. Defendant then sped away while Victim was hanging on the open driver’s side door. Defendant sped down the roadway for two blocks dragging Victim from the driver’s door.
The door opened and closed as it sped down the roadway and Victim’s feet can be seen dragging along the roadway. Defendant then quickly turned right on East 18th Street causing Victim’s body to careen in the air and the driver’s door to open wide. Victim then fell from the vehicle onto the roadway and was run over by the van. Defendant continued to drive forward for about half of a city block before he stopped, opened the driver’s door of the vehicle, closed it, and sped off. Officers located Victim’s van a few blocks away on the 1900 block of 10th Avenue S abandoned with the keys in the ignition and Victim’s dogs in the vehicle.
