ST. CLOUD, Minn. — For a second night in a row, crowds clashed with police in St. Cloud.
Monday night into Tuesday morning, officers arrested 37 adults and two juveniles related to unlawful assembly. One adult was taken into custody on burglary charges related to the looting of Southtown Liquor. According to St. Cloud Assistant Police Chief Jeffrey Oxton, that adult is part of the 37 adults mentioned which means a total of 39 were arrested.
Monday night at 10:20 p.m. officers responded to a report of multiple gunshots heard near 9th Avenue and University Drive S. Police say they didn't find any victims but while investigating, a crowd of up to 200 gathered in the area. According to St. Cloud police, Southtown Liquor was being broken into and looted around 11 p.m. - surveillance video from inside the store shows about a dozen people rush in and leave as quickly as they arrived.
A mandatory warning to disperse was given because the gathering had turned into an "unlawful assembly," according to police. Police said rocks were being thrown and the crowd showed no signs of dispersing so they ultimately used tear gas to break them up.
For the next four hours, police responded to multiple reports including gunshots fired, assaults within the crowd and three dumpster fires.
"Somewhere between 2 and maybe 3 a.m. we started hearing flash bangs going off and the tear gas getting shot," said Kevin McCarthy, who lives near Southtown Liquor.
Bhavik Patel, owner of St. Cloud Liquor and Stop-N-Go gas station, said four people broke into his store around 3:30 a.m. His security system alerted him to the break-in. One person used a cinder block to smash his front door while another used an axe to break another window. They stole cash from the register, lottery scratch-offs and liquor. But Patel said it'll cost the most to fix the damage.
"We have to go through so much ... trying to clean it up, calling insurance and closing the business down for a few hours and losing the loss of business. It's just, it's not worth it for a couple hundred dollars," said Patel, referring to how much money was stolen from the register.
The unrest started Monday morning when social media rumors spread that officers had shot two Black men. That was false. What really happened, according to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, was that an officer was shot in the hand while arresting an 18-year-old suspect. Police say no officers returned fire, and the suspect was taken into custody.
At a press conference Monday morning, police and community leaders emphasized that the shooting had not been fatal, and reminded the community that the spread of misinformation on social media can be dangerous.
"I'm not a big fan of social media. I know it has its benefits. I don't subscribe to it and this is a good reason why people need to breathe and think before they react," said Sam DeLeo of Kramer Leas DeLeo Land Surveying and Engineering.
DeLeo's building is right next to the police department and was vandalized Monday morning. He arrived at work to find two of the side windows broken, the front window chipped and his work truck vandalized.
"It caused a lot of damage and this will all come out of my pocket because our deductible is fairly high in the building and the vehicle so it's a loss for us," DeLeo said.
Patel said he's unsure how much the damage will cost him but said, "We are here trying to make a living, trying to provide for the family. We're doing our part in the community and we are the ones getting hit the most... It's sad to say but the cause is great but then there are others that are just doing this for the wrong reasons."
During the unrest, one person in the crowd was assaulted and needed medical attention. A witness to the assault told KARE 11 that the man had been pushed backwards off a retaining wall and stomped on his head. The witness said he wasn't moving when he was carried away. Police say he was taken to the hospital and ultimately was able to leave.