A Minneapolis man drove a black sedan through a north Minneapolis alley as a passenger fired more than a dozen shots at officers, then led police on a chase before fleeing on foot.
Allando Isaac Bennett, 23, faces charges of attempted 2nd-degree murder, aiding an offender to avoid arrest and fleeing police in a motor vehicle, according to a complaint filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.
According to the complaint, officers on patrol near Penn Avenue and 35th Street North on June 15 saw a black sedan pull into the alley behind their squad. A man in a pink shirt got out and fired between 14 and 16 shots, which officers believed were aimed at them. Officers saw muzzle flashes coming from the sedan and accelerated out of the alley to wait for the suspect vehicle to exit.
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After a delay, the black sedan emerged from the alley with only the driver inside. Officers activated their emergency lights and pursued the vehicle, which did not stop. During the pursuit, officers saw a man in a pink shirt running on foot. Other officers searching the area learned that two people had been seen running east, one wearing pink.
Officers soon located two people, including one in a pink shirt, later identified as Rictavious Wiggins. Through investigation, officers obtained the license plate of the black sedan, a Lincoln MKZ and found it abandoned several blocks away in an alley. A plastic covering previously seen on the vehicle’s rear window was found in a nearby garbage can.
Investigators identified Allando Isaac Bennett as the driver of the Lincoln and arrested him. During an interview, Bennett admitted to driving the black sedan and said he had picked up a gun earlier that day. He claimed there were three other people in the vehicle and that they were being followed by a red Dodge Durango, insisting the shots were directed at the Durango, not at officers. However, surveillance video from the area did not show a red Durango present at the time of the shooting.
Officers reviewed multiple surveillance videos from nearby residences. One video showed the officers’ squad traveling northbound in the alley with the black Lincoln following. Another video captured a loud bang consistent with a gunshot as the squad passed a residence.
Bennett is currently in custody. The charge of 2nd-degree murder alleges he acted with intent but without premeditation. He is also charged with aiding an offender to avoid arrest and fleeing police in a motor vehicle. A court date has not yet been set.
About This Charge
In Minnesota, homicide charges fall under three degrees: § 609.185 (first-degree murder), § 609.19 (second-degree murder) and § 609.195 (third-degree murder). First-degree murder carries a mandatory life sentence; second-degree convictions are presumptive 12 to 40 years; third-degree up to 25 years. The Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission publishes guideline ranges that judges follow except where specific aggravating or mitigating factors are on the record.
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Jurisdictional Context
Hennepin County is Minnesota’s most populous jurisdiction. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office handles felony prosecutions across Minneapolis and 45 surrounding cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
