St. Paul Police Union Head Blasts Decision To Drop Felony Charges Against Man Who Raised Gun At Officers
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The head of the St. Paul Police Union is lambasting prosecutors for dismissing felony charges against a man who raised a gun towards officers.
Asad Ibrahim, 31, was instead given a plea deal for his role in the incident that was caught on body cameras. But police believe he deserves a harsher punishment.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi, however, says the evidence shows that isn't warranted.
Police were initially called to a residence on the east side of the city on a noise complaint in late January. After an officer knocks on the door, but does not identify himself as police, Ibrahim answers.
In the video, you can see Ibrahim opening the door with a weapon raised, then quickly dropping it.
He was initially charged with two felonies and a gross misdemeanor for the encounter. On Wednesday, he was able to only plead guilty to the lesser charge.
Choi says the prosecutors considered "collateral consequences" in addition to the evidence in this case when making their decision. He issued a memo regarding collateral consequences in January.
Ibrahim is an immigrant, and a felony conviction could lead to deportation.
"In this particular case, if we were to proceed, he consulted with our immigration attorney … the advice that he had gotten is that this would have certainly consequences for potential removal from this country," Choi said.
St. Paul Police Federation President Paul Kuntz blasted the decision.
"To have the county attorney that takes into account collateral consequences over public safety when determining charges in the course of a violent criminal case as a whole is unconscionable," Kuntz said.
Ibrahim was sentenced to two years of probation. He also will serve 60 days on electronic home monitoring, and was fined $3,000.
