On November 25, 2025, officers of the Fridley Police Department were dispatched to a theft in progress at Target located on 53rd Ave NE in the city of Fridley, Anoka County, Minnesota. Dispatch advised officers that the suspect had left in a red Chevrolet style pickup. While en route to Target, Officer Lusignan noticed a vehicle matching that description and began to follow it while dispatch confirmed that the license plate was a match with the suspect vehicle. Officer Lusignan observed the driver to be an older male with a large gray beard.
Officer Lusignan initiated a traffic stop in the area of University AVE NE and I694 and the vehicle came to a stop. As Officer Lusignan got out of his squad car and began to walk towards the Chevrolet, the Chevrolet began to take off. Officer Lusignan got back into his squad car and continued to follow the vehicle with lights and siren activated. The Chevrolet continued to accelerate and drove onto the curb to west bound I 694, driving through traffic. For safety reasons, Officer Lusignan terminated the pursuit.
Officers learned that the vehicle was registered to a business called L&B towing and found that a male matching the description of the driver was listed as having the same address as the business. The male was identified as David Paul Johnson, [DOB REDACTED], Defendant herein. Officers compared DVS photos of Defendant with a still shot of the male involved in the theft at Target and found them to be a match. Officers also spoke with loss prevention staff at Target who stated that Defendant entered the store, selected a TV, and proceeded to the exit door where he was stopped by loss prevention staff who inquired that Defendant show a receipt for the purchase of the TV. Defendant did not provide a receipt and continued to leave the store.
Loss prevention staff reviewed video and determined that Defendant left the store without making any attempt to pay for the TV. The value of the TV was $179.99. Defendant’s driver’s license status is canceled inimical to public safety. Defendant has several active warrants for his arrest and will likely not respond to a summons. A warrant complaint is requested.
