Search Underway After Man Flees Hennepin Courtroom During Sentencing

Jun 25

A man sentenced to five years in prison on a felony weapons charge escaped from a Hennepin County courtroom Tuesday morning.

Jerel Valdez Martin, 35, had just been sentenced to 60 months in prison for a conviction of possessing ammunition as a prohibited person, stemming from a Brooklyn Park theft of hollow-point rounds from Fleet Farm.

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*Jerel Valdez Martin,* ***via Hennepin County Sheriff***

After the sentencing, as deputies were speaking with the judge, a woman accompanying Martin handed him a cell phone despite being told not to. When deputies attempted to take the phone away, Martin reportedly struggled with them, broke free and fled from the courtroom.

Authorities say Martin ran from the courthouse shirtless and barefoot. As of Wednesday afternoon, he remained at large and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.

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Martin is described as 5 feet 7 inches tall, about 135 pounds, with black hair. A warrant has been issued for his arrest, and officials are asking anyone who sees him to call 911.

Martin’s prior convictions include aggravated robbery and felony possession of a firearm. His five-year sentence on Tuesday was given after he was found guilty of stealing hollow-point ammunition in 2023. Due to his previous conviction, Martin was barred from possessing ammunition.

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