Man Allegedly Pointed Gun at Teens Playing Game in Ham Lake

Sep 18

An Anoka County man is facing multiple felony charges after prosecutors say he pointed a gun at a group of teenagers playing a game near his Ham Lake home and threatened to shoot them.

According to the criminal complaint, the confrontation happened around 10 p.m. Sept. 13 on 7th Street Northeast, where five teenagers told officers they had stopped their vehicle to play a hide-and-seek style game.

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Three of the teens got out of the car and two stayed inside when a man approached, yelling at them and saying they were in the wrong area. The teens reported the man appeared intoxicated, cursed at them, and pulled out a handgun. When one of the teens tried to explain what they were doing, the man allegedly pointed the gun at him and said that if he took another step, he would “end him.”

The complaint states the man then shifted his focus to the two teenage girls in the car, pointing the gun inside the vehicle and demanding that the passenger roll down her window. The girls told him they were scared and tried to leave, but he continued waving the firearm and shouting profanities before ordering the group to get back into the car and leave.

Deputies identified the suspect as 37-year-old Alexander Lewis Becker, who lives at a residence in the same location as described by the teens. When contacted at his home, Becker admitted approaching the teenagers with a .38 caliber revolver in hand and acknowledged yelling at them and using profanity, but claimed he believed they might have been connected to a theft at his home the week before. According to the complaint, when officers told him the teens were afraid they would be shot, he responded, “I don’t care.”

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Investigators executed a search warrant at Becker’s residence and located a revolver under a mattress in a basement bedroom. They also found an open gun safe with multiple firearms and ammunition, as well as a loaded pistol on top of a dresser. Officers noted that children’s toys and clothing were in the same room, the door to the room was blocked open and missing a doorknob, and Becker’s four children, ages 9 months to 11 years, lived in the home. Prosecutors said the unsecured weapons posed a serious risk of access by children.

Becker has been charged with five counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, one count of threats of violence with reckless disregard, and one gross misdemeanor count of negligent storage of firearms accessible to children. Each assault count carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison, while the threats of violence charge carries up to five years, and the negligent storage charge carries up to 364 days in jail.

Becker made an initial court appearance on Tuesday. A judge set bail at $100,000 without conditions, or $50,000 with conditions. Jail records show he was released later that day.

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