On April 13, 2026, at approximately 7:34 PM, Chaska Police Officers responded to reports of a break-in at a business near Oak Ridge Drive in Chaska, Carver County, Minnesota. The reporting party advised that there were two people inside the building wearing dark clothing and masks and attempting to steal furniture from the business. Officers established a perimeter around the building and worked to locate the suspects. As Officer Miranda moved to the north side of the building, he observed two males running north towards a wooded area.
Officer Miranda ordered the men to stop and pursued them on foot. While pursuing the men, Officer Miranda identified himself as law enforcement and instructed the men to stop running. After reaching the wooded area, one of the men sat on the ground and stated that he was giving up. Officer Miranda apprehended the man and eventually identified him as WYATT RICHARD ALTENHOFEN [DOB REDACTED]. Officers continued to pursue the other man and used various methods to track him. At approximately 8:37 PM, the other man called into dispatch, identified himself as CHARLES FRANK KITZMANN [DOB REDACTED], and stated that he wanted to turn himself in.
Officers located Kitzmann in a nearby field and placed him under arrest. Both Altenhofen and Kitzmann were read their Miranda rights and both agreed to give a statement. Altenhofen stated that he and Kitzmann saw a video of the business on TikTok and decided to visit. While walking around the building, they located a window to open and entered the building. Once inside the building, they located keys and tried opening various doors. While walking around the building, Altenhofen unplugged a security camera.
After Altenhofen and Kitzmann were in the building for approximately an hour, they heard police arrive, so they decided to run. Altenhofen admitted that he heard the officer ordering them to stop running. Kitzmann gave a similar statement. PLEASE TAKE NOTICE: Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 609.49., intentional failure to appear for duly scheduled court appearances may result in additional criminal charges, and in addition to any arrest warrant that may otherwise be issued by the Court.
