A woman with a bloodied face screamed for help from the back seat of a car at a Rochester gas station before the driver sped away, according to charges filed in Olmsted County.
Paul Canini Jr., 42, of Rochester, faces five charges: kidnapping to facilitate a felony or flight, false imprisonment, domestic assault by strangulation, fleeing a peace officer in a motor vehicle and misdemeanor domestic assault.
According to the complaint, officers responded to the Kwik Trip on Marion Road Southeast at about 5:42 a.m. on June 8 after a witness reported seeing a woman in distress. The witness told a Rochester police officer that he saw a man and woman enter the store together. When the witness left the store, he saw the woman in the back seat of a car with the man driving. The woman rolled down the window and yelled, “help me, help me, please help,” before the driver sped off down Marion Road.
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Surveillance footage showed a 2014 Chevy Malibu arrive at the gas station, with the victim driving and Canini in the passenger seat. Both went inside, then returned to the vehicle. While inside the car, Canini reached over from the passenger seat and appeared to strike the victim. The video showed the victim in the back seat, blood visible on her face as she screamed for help out the window before the car drove away.
Officers began searching for the vehicle. About 40 minutes later, a Rochester police officer spotted the suspect car turning onto Highway 14. The officer recognized Canini from the surveillance video and attempted a traffic stop. Canini accelerated, reaching speeds over 90 mph as he tried to evade police.
The vehicle ran a red light at 12th Street Southeast and Marion Road, attempted to pass between two vehicles and collided with one. The car came to a stop in the intersection, and Canini ran from the driver’s seat before officers caught him.
The victim was found in the vehicle in a state of panic and was taken to the hospital. An officer observed two open wounds under the right side of the victim’s bottom lip, as well as visible red marks and discoloration on her neck. At the hospital, the victim told police she had traveled with Canini from Illinois to Minnesota.
She said Canini became angry about her parking in front of the gas station doors, yelled at her that no one would save her and bit her on the face, causing the wounds. The victim reported that Canini grabbed her by the neck, pushed her down and choked her until she had difficulty breathing. He then forced her into the back seat by her neck and hit her before driving away. The victim said she called for help out the window, which resulted in a spray of blood.
The complaint states that Canini drove the victim to another location so she could wash the blood off her face and told her not to move when she wanted to run. Eventually, they left and were pursued by law enforcement. The victim also reported a history of domestic violence by Canini, including a pattern of strangulation.
The charges were filed Tuesday, June 9. A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
Minnesota’s kidnapping statute is § 609.25. A conviction carries up to 20 years in prison when the victim is released in a safe place without great bodily harm, and up to 40 years when those mitigating conditions are absent. Related offenses include false imprisonment (§ 609.255) and depriving another of parental rights (§ 609.26).
Related MN CRIME Coverage
3 Charged in Rochester Kidnapping, Attack on Drug Middleman • 2 Drivers Die in Highway 52 Crash in Olmsted County • 2 Motorcyclists Dead in Crash with Truck Near Rochester
Jurisdictional Context
Olmsted County encompasses Rochester and is served by the Olmsted County Attorney’s Office through the Third Judicial District. Felony cases are heard at the Olmsted County Government Center in downtown Rochester.
