3 Charged After Man Beaten, Run Over in Gas Station Attack
BY MN CRIME STAFF
Three people are facing felony charges after prosecutors say a man was beaten, robbed and struck by a driver during a group assault outside a Brooklyn Center gas station.
The incident happened Feb. 5 at a Holiday station in the 5700 block of Xerxes Avenue North.
Ecstasy Audacious Algerice Whitehead, 23, of Minneapolis, Rajah Lezarious West, 21, of New Hope, and Imani Nafisah Reid, 24, of Saint Paul, are each charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and second-degree riot while armed.
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Court records show the charges stem from what investigators describe as a coordinated attack involving multiple people.
According to the criminal complaints, Brooklyn Center officers were dispatched on a report of a fight in the gas station parking lot. While officers were en route, dispatchers received updated information that a small silver vehicle connected to the fight had left southbound on Xerxes Avenue. Officers later located the vehicle in a nearby IHOP parking lot.
At the gas station, employees told officers a woman involved in the altercation had been holding a knife. Officers recovered a silver knife blade near the building along with a broken handle piece in the parking lot. Employees also pointed out clumps of hair believed to belong to the victim, who had long dreadlocks.
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Surveillance video reviewed by officers showed a small silver vehicle pull up to a gas pump before several people exited and approached the victim near the store entrance. Investigators say Reid was seen reaching into the victim’s pockets and taking property before backing away. As the victim moved toward her, Reid, West and Whitehead allegedly began striking him with their hands and feet.
Prosecutors say the video shows Reid grabbing the victim by his hair and pulling him to the ground, where the group continued assaulting him while he was down. The suspects then returned to the vehicle. Authorities allege Reid got into the driver’s seat and drove toward the victim, striking his leg before he was able to jump away.
When officers located the vehicle at the IHOP parking lot, West told officers that someone had been “getting jumped” and claimed the group intervened because a man was trying to assault women. Officers also found three young children inside the vehicle, ages four, two and an infant.
READ MORE > Hennepin County coverage
Officers later contacted the victim at the same location. Investigators noted significant swelling to his left cheekbone, abrasions to his face and blood visible in his hair. Authorities said his speech was slow or slurred and he had blood around his mouth. The victim, who appeared intoxicated, told officers he feared retaliation but reported Reid had taken a Gucci backpack containing money before the group assaulted him. He also told officers he typically carried a knife and was unsure how it ended up in the parking lot.
All three suspects were taken into custody the same day.
Jail records show Reid remains in custody with bail set at $70,000 with conditions or $140,000 without conditions. West also remains jailed with bail set at $70,000 with conditions or $100,000 without conditions. Whitehead was released Feb. 10 on conditions after posting bond.
If convicted, the assault charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, while the riot charge carries a maximum sentence of five years.
Reid is scheduled to appear in court March 11, West on March 13 and Whitehead on April 8 in Hennepin County District Court.
