A 26-year-old Minneapolis woman is charged with carjacking a man who was waiting for day labor work in a parking lot on Lake Street.
Brianna Louise King faces a felony charge of third-degree carjacking in Hennepin County District Court after she allegedly punched the victim and drove off in his car Sunday morning, according to a criminal complaint.
The victim, a migrant worker identified in the complaint only by his initials, and a friend were sitting in the victim’s running black Nissan Altima in a parking lot on East Lake Street on the morning of April 19. The two were waiting for anyone with work to drive up and ask for workers.
King, who told officers she had been panhandling in the area, approached the rear door on the driver’s side, opened it and got in. She asked the victim for $2, then asked for $20 more. The victim did not have $20 and refused. King allegedly punched him multiple times. The victim and his friend got out of the car and ran.
King then allegedly got into the driver’s seat and drove the Altima out of the parking lot.
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About nine hours later, around 5:50 p.m., the victim spotted King walking on West Lake Street and flagged down officers on routine patrol. King ran but was caught near the intersection of West Lake Street and Pleasant Avenue. The victim identified her at the scene and told officers King was wearing his boots, which had been inside the car. She told officers she had parked the Altima on the 3000 block of Pleasant Avenue.
King was arrested and taken to the Hennepin County Jail. She initially denied any involvement but later admitted she took the car, telling officers she was sick of people “being mean” to her. She also denied assaulting the victim.
MPD Milestone camera footage from the parking lot showed the Altima parked at 8:18 a.m. and a woman matching King’s description approaching the car at 8:38 a.m. The footage showed the driver and another man getting out and walking away before the car drove off.
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King has a prior felony conviction for second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in Cass County. In that 2020 case, she attacked her mother at Northern Lights Casino, striking her twice in the face with a closed fist, kneeing her and then hitting her on the back of the head twice and upper back twice with a pipe as the victim tried to run into the casino. She was sentenced to 21 months at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee in July 2022.
Court records also show a 2023 felony conviction for fifth-degree drug possession in Cass County and a gross misdemeanor counterfeiting conviction the same year.
King is being held on $50,000 bail. Her next court appearance is set for Wednesday.
Third-degree carjacking carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.
