2 teens charged with attempted murder of police officer for shots fired during chase in Brooklyn Center
BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two teens are charged with the attempted murder of a police officer after shots were fired at a deputy during a chase in Brooklyn Center in September.
Rashad Collins of Burnsville and Damon Davenport Jr. of Coon Rapids, both age 18, are charged with attempted murder, attempted assault, and fleeing police for the alleged shootout on wheels on I-94.
According to the charges, in the early morning hours of September 15, a Hennepin County deputy was helping other law enforcement with the search for a white sedan that had left the scene of a reported robbery at 57th Avenue North and Emerson Avenue North in Brooklyn Center. As the deputy responded, he spotted a white car headed in the opposite direction at a high rate of speed.
The deputy started following the car and tried to stop the driver after the vehicle went through multiple stop signs at high speeds on city streets. At one point, the deputy heard gunfire.
The charges state the driver didn't stop and kept driving erratically, moving through the city streets and ultimately getting on I-94 east. As the deputy followed the vehicle on I-94, the deputy reported another volley of shots, with a bullet hitting the middle of the deputy's windshield.
The deputy stopped the pursuit to check on his K-9 partner, the charges explain, and other law enforcement officers weren't able to find the vehicle.
Speaking with the burglary victim, investigators say the victim identified Davenport and Collins as potential suspects and reported that Davenport drives a white Ford Fusion. The deputy that chased the vehicle was also able to determine the vehicle was registered to Davenport.
Security video at the apartment building also captured Davenport carrying items from the building that belongs to the victim, the charges state.
Davenport and Collins were both arrested in the following days. Davenport's Ford Fusion was also found abandoned in Minneapolis.
According to the complaint, the gun used in the shooting was found at the home of a man who investigators say was associated with the suspects. The charges also state that the items stolen during the burglary were found at another home of a man that investigators say has connections to the suspects.
Speaking with police, Davenport admitted to owning the Ford Fusion but said he left it at his sister's home in Burnsville after it broke down. However, police say they found a fast food receipt dated late September 14. Police say that drive-thru security video shows Davenport behind the wheel of the Ford Fusion on that night.
Both men also face burglary charges in Brooklyn Center.