Friday September 27, 2019
A 36-year-old man has been charged in connection to the damage of multiple East African-owned businesses in south Minneapolis, according to the Hennepin County Attorney's Office.
The attorney's office said Harlin St. John has been charged with two counts of first-degree damage to property, two counts of second-degree damage of property because of bias and one count of third-degree damage to property because of bias.
According to a criminal complaint, police were called on the morning of Sept. 18 to East Franklin Avenue and 24th Avenue S. on the report of a man who was throwing rocks through the windows of businesses.
After authorities viewed surveillance videos of the incident, security officers at the Hennpin County Government Center saw St. John and noticed he matched the suspect description and was wearing the same clothes.
During an interview with police, St. John said he broke the windows and he would pay for them. The complaint says he later went on to tell investigators that he did it in retaliation because someone shot at his family and he believed those involved were Somali. The complaint also said that he told investigators that he "hates 'the Somalis.'"
The Hennepin County Attorney's Office says additional charges are likely.