BEMIDJI -- Prosecutors are seeking to charge a 16-year-old juvenile as an adult after a highly publicized assault took place Sunday in downtown Bemidji.
According to court documents, the male juvenile allegedly approached an older man and his wife outside the Elks Lodge and asked for money. The juvenile then followed the man into the stairwell entryway of the lodge, which was hosting a football viewing party Sunday afternoon for the Minnesota Vikings-Chicago Bears game.
A security camera in the stairwell recorded much of the assault without audio. After a brief exchange of words, the juvenile struck the man, who then pushed back. The victim fell to the ground, at which point the juvenile began to repeatedly stomp on the man. The victim grabbed the juvenile’s legs, and the fight between the two continued outside the building away from the camera’s vantage point.
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The man’s wife can be seen on the video calling for help. Don Papreck was one of the first witnesses to arrive after the assault began and is shown in the security camera footage coming down the stairs from the lodge. The victim, Papreck said, received two black eyes from the encounter. Despite his injuries, the victim didn’t want immediate medical help and stayed for at least part of the event at the lodge.
“He was getting kicked in the face a lot,” Papreck said. “We gave him a bag of ice, and we were going to try to talk his wife into taking him to the hospital, but he wanted to stay up there.”
The Bemidji Police Department was called and responded at 2:23 p.m. Sunday. After interviewing the victim and witnesses, two juveniles were arrested near Seventh Street Northwest and Irvine Avenue.
The camera’s footage of the assault was uploaded to social media and has more than 44,000 views as of 6 p.m. Thursday. When reached by the Pioneer, the victim declined to comment.
One of the two juveniles is being charged with third-degree assault, obstructing the legal process and minor consumption. In addition to the charges, the Beltrami County Attorney’s Office submitted a motion Thursday to move the juvenile’s assault charge to adult court.
The motion listed several reasons for charging the juvenile as an adult. It said the assault would have been classified as a felony if committed by an adult and that keeping the charge in juvenile court “does not serve public safety.”
The court document, which listed the charges, provided additional information about what happened after the two juveniles fled the scene at the Elks. The juvenile who was later charged was found at a Bemidji residence. In addition to his new charges, the juvenile was reportedly also wanted on a probation violation charge for “failing to comply with electronic home monitoring.”
Although officers were allowed into the home, they still had difficulty apprehending the juvenile after finding him in a closet. The juvenile was allegedly intoxicated at the time and attempted to kick the officers. He also was “tossing his head back and forth.”
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It took more than one officer to carry the juvenile out of the residence. Officers also had to use a “spit shield” and a “hobble” device, which essentially binds a suspect’s feet together.
“It keeps people from kicking; essentially, it’s handcuffs for the legs,” Bemidji Police Chief Mike Mastin said.
They then took the juvenile to Sanford Health to be “medically cleared.”
There was no information available whether there will be any charges filed against the second juvenile who was arrested.
