A Brooklyn Park man has been charged with second-degree murder after he allegedly stole a man’s van in south Minneapolis and dragged the owner to his death, according to a criminal complaint filed this week.
Gerald Nicolas Cepeda, 34, faces one count of second-degree felony murder for causing a man’s death while stealing a motor vehicle. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison.
The incident happened on the afternoon of Saturday, April 11, near Chicago Avenue and E. Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis. Surveillance video from Metro Transit captured the sequence clearly and multiple officers identified Cepeda from the footage, the complaint says.
READ MORE > Hennepin County coverage
The victim arrived in his white van, let some of his dogs out and spoke with people in the area. While the man walked a few feet from his vehicle to speak with two people on the sidewalk, Cepeda ran over and jumped into the driver’s seat, according to the complaint.
The victim ran back and grabbed the driver’s side door to stop Cepeda from closing it. Cepeda then allegedly sped away with the man hanging on the open door.
Cepeda drove two blocks dragging the victim from the driver’s door. The door opened and closed as Cepeda sped down the street and the victim’s feet dragged along the pavement. Cepeda then turned right onto East 18th Street, sending the man’s body into the air. The victim fell onto the roadway and Cepeda allegedly ran him over with the van.
Cepeda drove about half a block farther, stopped, opened and closed the driver’s door and sped off. A witness near E. 18th Street and Chicago Avenue heard a loud thud and turned to see the victim lying in the street. The witness reported the van stopped briefly and the driver opened the door and looked back before driving away.
Officers found the victim face down on the pavement. Paramedics and hospital staff attempted life-saving measures, but the man died at the hospital. He suffered catastrophic injuries including multiple cardiac and aortic lacerations, a lacerated lung, multiple rib fractures, a femur fracture, a complete toe amputation and blunt force trauma to nearly every surface of his head and body.
Officers found the van abandoned a few blocks away on the 1900 block of 10th Avenue South with the keys in the ignition and the victim’s dogs still inside.
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Two witnesses working for an outreach program near Chicago and Franklin told police they saw Cepeda and the victim get into a brief verbal argument on the sidewalk before separating. The victim returned to the witnesses to apologize for the argument and thank them for their ministry. Both then saw Cepeda run to the van and steal it while the victim grabbed the door and was dragged away.
Minneapolis police arrested Cepeda three days later on Tuesday, April 14. He admitted to taking the van from Chicago and Franklin on April 11, the complaint states. He told officers he did not know the victim and said he was “just playing a joke” and planned to bring the van back. Cepeda claimed he did not know the victim had been dragged and killed.
Cepeda has prior convictions tied to stolen vehicles. In October 2025, he pleaded guilty to felony receiving stolen property after Minneapolis police found him and a passenger asleep in a stolen 2015 Hyundai Elantra with smashed-out windows and a peeled steering column, according to the complaint in that case.
Cepeda told officers at the time, “of course we knew, it was left running in the middle of the night.” A judge gave him a stay of imposition and placed him on two years of supervised probation, meaning the felony would reduce to a misdemeanor if he completed probation successfully.
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The murder happened less than six months into that probation term. His conditions included orders to remain law-abiding and report any contact with law enforcement within 72 hours.
In an earlier case from June 2024, police spotted Cepeda driving a stolen vehicle near 33rd Avenue and Penn Avenue North in Minneapolis. He jumped out and fled on foot, according to that complaint. He was later convicted of misdemeanor fleeing and sentenced to 35 days in the workhouse with credit for time served.
At the time of his arrest for the murder, Cepeda also had outstanding warrants in four other Hennepin County cases, including felony theft charges filed by Edina police, a felony threats of violence charge from Metro Transit police and theft and obstruction charges from Brooklyn Center police.
Cepeda made his first court appearance Thursday afternoon before Judge Michael E. Burns. He was granted a public defender and remains in custody at the Hennepin County jail on $500,000 bail without conditions or $200,000 with conditions. His next court date is May 14.
