Homeless shelter attacked in Minneapolis, 2 facing charges

Woman bashes Mpls shelter door with baseball bat

Three people were injured after a woman smashed a glass door at a Minneapolis women's and children's shelter. Police arrested the woman later in the week to face riot and property damage charges. Another man was reportedly arrested for his involvement, and police say more arrests related to the incident are possible.

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A violent attack on a women's and children’s homeless shelter in north Minneapolis ended with three people injured and a woman in jail facing felony charges.

What we know

The chaotic scene unfolded at St. Anne’s Place shortly after 8 p.m. on Sept. 5. Surveillance video shows a woman approach the front door and start bashing it in with a baseball bat. Another camera caught that same woman repeatedly hitting the side door while four others stood nearby.

Eureka Riser, 33, of Minneapolis, faces riot and property damage charges. Police also announced on Friday night the arrest of a 35-year-old man for his involvement.

Other people seen with her on surveillance video have not been identified.

"One of my staff who was injured who was holding an infant when one of the assailants then bashed the windows with this bat," said Hoang Murphy, CEO of People Serving People, the agency that oversees St. Anne’s.

A violent attack on a homeless shelter in north Minneapolis ended with three people injured and a woman in jail facing felony charges.

He said a dispute over a parking spot led to the incident, which injured two guests and an employee.

Another person also pointed a gun at the shelter, prosecutors have said.

Murphy said Riser’s arrest, which happened a week after the attack, should have come sooner.

"I don’t understand why those arrests couldn’t happen in that moment," he said. "We’re the ones who called 911 and they [police] spoke to them first and then they even apologized to them for the broken glass on the sidewalk."

He said the shelter, which is temporarily closed due to safety concerns, is considering installing bullet-resistant glass as well as other security upgrades.

In a statement on Friday, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said: "This violent attack on some of our most vulnerable community members, unhoused women and children, in a place where they had gone to seek shelter and safety cannot be tolerated."