On May 4, 2026, officers from the Metro Transit Police Department responded to the intersection of 8th Street and Park Avenue to investigate a report of an assault that had taken place on a Metro Transit bus. Officers were advised a person had called stating they had been maced and needed medical attention. Upon arrival officers made contact with the reporting party, fully identified in officers’ reports, Victim herein. Victim [NAME REDACTED] on the bus near the back and heard a group of people being loud on the bus.
Victim [NAME REDACTED] told the group of people to calm down and one of the people, a male, sprayed mace into Victim’s face. The bus stopped in the area of 8th Street and 3rd Avenue and the suspected male got off the bus. Victim stayed on the bus until 8th Street and Portland. While speaking with Victim, officers noticed the residue of mace still on Victim’s face. Officers could also smell the odor of mace. While on scene, officers received a communication from the Real Time Information Center (RTIC). RTIC had observed the suspect leave the bus after Victim was maced and observed the suspected person was in the area of the US Bank light rail platform.
Officers then responded to that area and located the suspect. When officers attempted to take the suspected person into custody, the suspect fled on foot. After a short pursuit, officers were able to apprehend suspect and identified him as Gionni Frank-Jarreau Cosey, [DOB REDACTED], Defendant herein. Defendant was taken into custody. On May 5, 2025, officers spoke with Defendant. After being advised of his rights, Defendant agreed to speak with officers. Defendant told officers that in “hypothetical” terms, Defendant was talking with some friends on the bus when a woman started yelling at him to be quiet.
Defendant said the woman was recording him and calling others to come get Defendant. Defendant said the woman made some sort of aggressive gesture toward Defendant and he responded by cussing at the woman and spraying her with a small can of mace. Defendant declined to tell officers what happened with the mace cannister. Officers then asked Defendant that, hypothetically, if Defendant were to have maced someone, it would have been done out of self-defense and Defendant agreed. Officers attempted to locate video from inside the bus, but the video file was corrupted.
Defendant has two prior qualified domestic assault related convictions within the past 3 years. Those convictions are: • Threats of Violence – Ramsey County File ••-CR-••-•••• • Domestic Assault – Anoka County Defendant is in custody.
