A man fired a gun in a Saint Paul alley near an elementary school after arguing with a woman in a car, according to the complaint.
Georgi Htoo, 20, is charged in Ramsey County District Court with two counts of possessing a firearm as a person barred due to a crime of violence and one count of threats of violence, in a complaint filed October 30.
The complaint says Saint Paul police responded to Cornerstone Montessori Elementary School at about 1:07 p.m. on October 28 after a school employee reported hearing multiple gunshots. Other callers also reported shots fired, including one who saw a white car near a garage and heard a single gunshot followed by a woman screaming.
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Officers spoke with a witness who said she saw a white car with a man and a woman who appeared to be arguing as they drove past. The witness said the driver turned into an alley and she then heard a gunshot and the woman scream.
Another witness told police he had come to the alley to retrieve his white Ford Focus, which he had loaned to a woman. He said he saw her driving the car with a man, later identified as Georgi Htoo, in the passenger seat. The witness said Htoo became verbally aggressive and told the woman not to return the car. According to the complaint, Htoo then pulled out a firearm, fired shots in the air and made the woman drive away.
Police identified Htoo based on the witness’s description and confirmed it with a photo. Police found a spent 9mm shell casing in the alley.
About 30 minutes later, a Ramsey County deputy spotted the white Ford Focus with Htoo and the woman still inside. When police arrived, both fled on foot. The complaint says Htoo was holding a black pistol as he ran. Police surrounded Htoo at a nearby address, where he refused commands to drop the pistol.
After a five-minute standoff, officers used less-lethal rounds to disarm him and took him into custody, recovering a 9mm Ruger pistol. Police also found one live .40 caliber round and 11 live 9mm rounds on Htoo.
The woman told police she had borrowed the car and was supposed to return it that day. She said she and Htoo were arguing and Htoo told her not to return the car. The complaint says Htoo became angrier, screamed at her, grabbed the back of her neck and shook her. She said Htoo pointed his gun out the passenger window and fired two rounds into the woods to scare her.
When they arrived at the alley, Htoo continued screaming and grabbing her, then shook her against the driver side window as another man approached. She said she could not remember if Htoo fired a shot in the alley but was scared and drove away.
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Jurisdictional Context
Ramsey County encompasses Saint Paul and is served by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. Felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul; Ramsey County Community Corrections operates the Ramsey County Correctional Facility in Maplewood.
