Security stepped up at Warehouse District ramp complex following daytime assaults on two women

Undercover patrols were assigned to Ramp C in downtown Minneapolis on Wednesday, and police warned those using the ramp not to walk alone after two women were attacked in the Warehouse District ramp.

The suspect who assaulted one of the women in her car Tuesday afternoon was "nicely groomed and dressed, so not what people expected," according to a notice from the Warehouse District Business Association to numerous businesses.

The man approached a woman about 2 p.m. and asked for a dollar. He then shoved her between two cars but fled when another person got off the elevator. At 4:40 p.m., a man believed to be the same person pushed a woman into her car and sexually assaulted her. He then fled, chased by witnesses who lost him in the area behind Pizza Lucé.

The man has not been caught, but authorities have video of him getting off an elevator with his victims. He was chased from parking Ramp C, 318 2nd Av. N., by bystanders after the second attack.

He was described as a light-skinned black man in his 20s with short, curly hair and possibly light facial hair. He is about 6 feet tall and slender. In the first assault, he wore baggy jeans and a dull black leather coat, possibly with maroon sleeves. In the second attack, he wore the same baggy jeans with a plaid shirt.

"If you see something, please notify us," said Minneapolis police spokesman John Elder, who said investigators have received numerous tips and are making progress on the case. Authorities did not release any of the video images.

Elder said Wednesday night that police have added extra patrols and undercover officers in the area, but authorities also urged people to take precautions, including: going with another person to the ramp, putting away cellphones while walking in the ramp, knowing the surroundings and walking with confidence.

The state-owned and city-managed ABC Ramps near Target Center are contracted to ABM Parking Services. The company had three ramp security vehicles patrolling Ramp C, along with undercover patrols.

ABM Security Manager Morrie Anderson said anyone who feels threatened or sees something suspicious should hit one of the red emergency buttons at various locations within the complex. There are 842 such intercoms, he said.

Pushing the button activates voice communication and a video feed to security. ABM also has escorts available. "We feel it is very secure out there," said Anderson.

The ABC ramp complex has 450 video cameras for 6,500 parking spaces, the elevators and the skyway connections, but there are areas within the complex that are not covered, Anderson acknowledged.

A woman who said she was attacked in Ramp B this summer said she no longer parks there. The woman said she had left work July 10 and was walking to her car about 4:30 p.m. when she noticed a man walking up the ramp. She opened her trunk to put her laptop away and the man stopped a few feet away and asked for a ride. Then he pulled out a gun.

"The first thing I did was put my hands in the air," said the woman, who asked not to be named. She hoped it would draw the attention of security, which she assumed could see her on video. She later learned that she was in an area with no video coverage.

She said the man pushed her between two cars and demanded her keys. When he was unable to get the car started, she ran away and found another driver who called for help.

"The police actually blocked the exits of the ramp within moments," she said, but it was too late. The man had fled with her purse.

Her assailant was later seen on video at the Target store in Brooklyn Center, using her credit card. Matthew Thomas Rush, 27, was arrested and now faces a felony charge of first-degree aggravated robbery. He remains in Hennepin County jail.

Staff writer Joy Powell contributed to this report. Matt McKinney • 612-673-7329