On March 27, 2026, police were dispatched to a domestic assault at an apartment building in Minneapolis, Hennepin County, Minnesota. The reporting party could hear a female yelling at a male inside an apartment, and she was telling him not to hit her. The reporting party could also hear “slapping noises.” Officers arrived and spoke to the reporting party, who was a construction worker working at the building. He told police that he saw the male drag the female up the stairs, and that the female is pregnant.
Officers went to the apartment and could hear a male yelling inside. Officers knocked and announced themselves several times until the female (identified herein as “Victim”) opened the door. Victim was crying, and officers had Victim exit the apartment as they tried to call the male out of the apartment. Because the male was not complying with commands or responding to officers, officers entered the apartment and located the male lying underneath an air mattress. The male was identified as DEJUAN MICHAEL SMITH ([DOB redacted]). SMITH was arrested and initially was cooperative.
As SMITH was being escorted out of the apartment, however, he started making comments about how officers were going to have to shoot him. He dropped his weight to the ground and tensed up when officers tried to help him up. SMITH then began thrashing and bashing his head into walls. Officers were able to remove SMITH from the apartment building, but ultimately emergency medical staff had to sedate him due to his refusal to cooperate. SMITH was transported to the hospital for evaluation. SMITH also had an active warrant for his arrest.
Victim was also transported to the hospital, where she underwent a forensic examination. Victim reported that SMITH is her boyfriend and the father of her unborn child. Victim was five months pregnant. That day, Victim and SMITH got into an argument because she did not want him to bring a gun into the house. They went outside where Victim had thrown away the gun, but the building’s garbage was empty. SMITH started yelling at Victim and dragged her inside. When they got back in the apartment, SMITH started hitting Victim and saying he was going to kill her.
SMITH choked victim at two points during the argument. Victim reported that he choked her with two hands both times, and one of those times he held her against the wall while choking her. Victim was unable to breathe, and she thought SMITH was going to kill her. The nurse conducting Victim’s exam noted that Victim’s voice was raspy and hoarse and that she had petechiae to her right eyeball, both of which can result from strangulation. Victim also had redness and swelling on her neck and under her chin.
SMITH was originally charged with misdemeanor domestic assault in relation to this incident (court file 27- CR-26-7824). Due to the information obtained after the fact from Victim’s medical records, and based on Defendant’s criminal history, a warrant complaint is requested so conditions of release can be readdressed in light of the more serious charges.
