A 24-year-old Saint Louis Park man ran from officers in a north Minneapolis alley before being arrested with a loaded handgun in his pocket, according to charges.

Juan Manuel Rosas faces two felony charges: possessing a firearm or ammunition after a conviction for a crime of violence, and fleeing a peace officer on foot.

According to the complaint, members of the Hennepin County Auto Theft Task Force were monitoring Rosas on Thursday, September 17, 2026, because he had two active warrants for his arrest in Hennepin County. Officers found him near 29th Avenue North and Colfax Avenue North in Minneapolis, close to a confirmed stolen vehicle.

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When police moved in to arrest him, Rosas ran south through an alley between Colfax and Dupont before changing direction and heading north. Officers pursued him and used a pepper ball to help take him into custody.

During a search after the arrest, officers found a Heckler and Koch USP Compact .40 caliber handgun in Rosas’s pocket. The firearm had a round in the chamber and at least eight rounds in the magazine. Court records state that Rosas is prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition because of a prior conviction for first-degree assault, entered on August 5, 2021, in Hennepin County.

The complaint also notes that Rosas had two pending motor vehicle cases in Hennepin County, which were the basis for his active warrants at the time of his arrest. He was taken into custody for those warrants as well as the new firearm and fleeing charges.

About This Charge

Minnesota’s weapons offenses include § 624.713 (felon in possession of a firearm, five-year mandatory minimum for a prior crime of violence), § 609.66 (dangerous weapons, including drive-by shooting at § 609.66 subd. 1e) and § 609.165 (firearm restoration after a felony). Discharge of a firearm within a municipality is charged under § 609.66 subd. 1a.

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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.