A Minneapolis man followed a woman from a bus stop on Nicollet Avenue South Oct. 31, then punched her in the face, strangled her with one hand and threatened to kill her, according to the complaint.
Darien Gregory Cousins, 33, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with felony threats of violence and misdemeanor fifth-degree assault. The complaint was filed Nov. 3. Bail was set at $30,000.
According to the complaint, Minneapolis police were sent to the 2000 block of Nicollet Avenue South at about 5:54 p.m. on a report of someone armed with a gun. A woman told officers she was waiting at a nearby bus stop when Cousins came up and started talking with her. She felt uncomfortable and walked across the street, but he kept following her.
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Cousins then punched her in the face, grabbed her by the neck and chest and strangled her with one hand, she told officers. She said he threatened to kill her. Officers saw visible injuries on her.
A man who saw the encounter told police Cousins had been loitering in the area. He said he heard Cousins shout that he would shoot the woman and saw him “clutching” his waistband as if he had a gun. Officers arrested Cousins nearby. He was not armed and appeared intoxicated, the complaint says.
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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.
