A man held a woman hostage overnight in a Minneapolis apartment, beat her, strangled her until she lost consciousness and threatened to kill her and her baby while armed with a gun and a knife, according to the complaint.
Karod Dupree Ross, 45, faces charges of attempted murder in the second-degree, first-degree assault causing great bodily harm and second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to a complaint filed October 22 in Hennepin County District Court.
According to the complaint, Minneapolis police were dispatched to a 4th Avenue North address on October 18 after a report that a child’s father was holding a gun to the child’s head and threatening to leave with the firearm. Officers arrived and spoke with the victim, who had visible bruises, cuts and red marks on her face, head and neck.
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Her eyes appeared to be bulging and she had a long cut on her right leg and another on her left leg. Officers noted marks around her neck consistent with strangulation.
The victim told officers she had been held hostage for about 10 hours by Ross. She described Ross pulling her hair, pushing her to the ground, stomping on her, pistol whipping her and strangling her until she lost consciousness multiple times. The complaint states Ross threatened her, saying, “I’m gonna kill you and your baby.” The victim said she tried to call 911 at about 3:06 a.m. but Ross prevented her from making the call and from answering two callbacks from 911 at 3:07 and 3:08 a.m.
The complaint says Ross used a knife to threaten the victim and keep her in the apartment. Officers found the knife at the scene, with its tip broken off and separated. The victim reported seeing Ross with a gun before the assault and said he used it to hit her during the attack. Officers found multiple areas of blood in the bedroom where the victim said most of the assault happened.
During the assault, the victim said Ross threw her on top of her baby, an infant. Officers observed red marks on the baby’s forehead and photographed the injuries. The victim was transported to HCMC, where she was found to have a skull fracture, a fractured nose, popped blood vessels in her eyes, cuts on her lips and bruising on her neck and arms.
Ross was not at the scene when officers arrived. The complaint states police learned Ross boarded a flight the morning of October 22 and his whereabouts are unknown.
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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 44 other cities; the Fourth Judicial District presides over felony arraignments and trials at the Hennepin County Government Center in downtown Minneapolis.
