On March 8, 2026, around 2:40 PM, officers from the Fridley Police Department were dispatched to the BP Gas Station at [ADDRESS REDACTED] NE, City of Fridley, Anoka County, MN, initially in response to a report of a possible drunk driver. Officers then learned that someone had been assaulted with a knife. Upon arrival, they made contact with DIANE MARIE AUSTIN [DOB REDACTED], hereinafter Defendant, who stated she and another person were concerned that an elderly woman at the gas station was driving while impaired.
Defendant reported that while she was sitting in her car, a different individual (S. M. J.), the victim herein, exited the store and began yelling at her. The Defendant then exited her vehicle and grabbed S. M. J. By the neck. S. M. J. Responded by throwing a bottle at the Defendant, who then displayed a large knife and pointed it at S. M. J. A witness to the incident told officers that the Defendant said, “I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you,” while pointing the knife at S. M. J. Officers reviewed the store's surveillance footage, which confirmed all of this.
Defendant handed over the nine-inch-long knife she had brandished to the officers. Defendant is currently being held in the Anoka County Jail. The mandatory minimum sentences under Minn. Stat. 609.11, subd. 4 apply due to the involvement of a dangerous weapon.
