Man fatally stabbed at Edina bus stop attempted to flee after random attack, court filing says

The man stabbed to death in Edina the night before Thanksgiving was attempting to flee his assailant after trying to defend himself from the random attack at a bus stop, according to court documents.

Christian H. Lundegaard, 62, of Richfield was fatally wounded shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday near a cluster of retail outlets in the 6700 block of S. York Avenue.

A 32-year-old man from Minneapolis with a criminal history of largely nuisance crimes was arrested at the scene and remains jailed. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office has until noon Tuesday to charge him. The Star Tribune generally does not identify suspects before they are charged.

The altercation between the two men lasted less than two minutes and ended with Lundegaard being stabbed while trying to get away from the suspect, read a search warrant affidavit that police filed seeking permission from a Hennepin County district judge to collect blood samples from the suspect and possessions he had with him at the time.

According to the affidavit, based on exterior video from Edina Liquor:

The suspect entered the liquor store at 6:53 p.m., exited three minutes later and walked toward the bus stop. He approached Lundegaard, who was sitting on the stop's bench, and the two "begin physically fighting," the court filing read.

"Throughout the fight, the suspect and [Lundegaard] can be seen kicking and punching one another," the affidavit continued. "The suspect can be seen chasing [Lundegaard] as he appears to be retreating, at which time [Lundegaard] kicks the suspect."

The two men continued fighting until Lundegaard fell to the pavement just south of the bus stop at 6:58 p.m.

The suspect walked north on York Avenue for a short distance before walking back closer to the bus stop. Police arrested him and took custody of his backpack.

Officers provided immediate medical attention to Lundegaard, who suffered a stab wound to the left side of his chest. Emergency medical responders took him to HCMC, where he was declared dead 30 minutes later.

Police said Monday that a knife was used to kill Lundegaard, but they have declined to say whether the weapon has been recovered.

Court records show the suspect has been convicted numerous times for crimes including burglary, theft, disorderly conduct, trespassing and property damage.

Court records also show he was civilly committed twice in recent years for mental illness and chemical dependence, the first time when he overdosed three times within a month in 2020.

A report leading to the first commitment to a treatment center in December 2020 determined the suspect was abusing methamphetamine, opiates and cannabis, and was suffering from schizophrenia and other psychological disorders that left him at risk of harming himself or others.

Lundegaard was the brother of Karen Lundegaard, a Star Tribune metro editor. He also was the son of Bob Lundegaard, a longtime Minneapolis Tribune reporter and movie writer who retired in 1989. His stepmother, Ingrid Sundstrom Lundegaard, is also a retired Star Tribune journalist.

Karen Lundegaard said police told her they don't believe her brother and the suspect "ever had contact with each other before."

She said her brother had just shopped at a grocery store and was going to bring non-alcoholic sparkling grape juice for a family Thanksgiving gathering the next day.

Star Tribune staff writer Kim Hyatt contributed to this report.