A Maple Grove man has been charged in federal court with an armed carjacking in which he allegedly fired his gun and grazed a person's ear during a struggle in a Blaine parking lot in September.
Maple Grove man charged in armed carjacking in Blaine parking lot
The indictment of a 20-year-old follows Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andy Luger's pledge that all carjackings would be charged in federal court.
December 23, 2022 at 3:21AM
Earlier this year, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger said all adult carjackers would be charged in federal court
According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Justin Michael Kittleson, 20, was targeting a man and woman as they left the Cub Foods grocery store at the intersection of Jefferson Street and Sanburnol Drive on Sept. 24.
As the two were loading groceries into a 2021 Dodge Charger Hellcat, Kittleson allegedly pointed a gun at the woman, the DOJ said. The man intervened and began struggling with Kittleson.
During the struggle Kittleson's gun went off, grazing the ear of the man he was fighting with, according to the DOJ. Kittleson then took the car and drove away.
A 9mm bullet casing was recovered at the scene by Blaine police officers. Police reviewed surveillance footage and arrested Kittleson five days later. Officers searched his home and recovered two 9mm pistols and a hoodie the DOJ said Kittleson was wearing in the video.
Kittleson was indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury with one count of carjacking, and one count of using, brandishing and discharging a gun during a crime of violence. His attorney, Douglas Micko, declined a request for comment Thursday night.
Court records show Kittleson was convicted of second-degree assault with a firearm in 2020 and a gross misdemeanor in January 2022 for possessing a pistol in a vehicle.
The indictment comes months after Luger pledged to devote "the entire weight" of his staff to punish violent criminals, partially in an attempt to curb a surge of carjackings over the last two years in the Twin Cities.
Luger said in May that all adult carjackers "will serve time in federal prison."
Minnesota's vehicle thefts rose 8.5% between 2020 and 2021, with 14,829 vehicles stolen last year compared with 13,662 in 2020, according to an August report from the state's Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. There were 779 carjackings in 2021, which was the first year BCA tallied the category.
Vehicle thefts in Minneapolis are up 48% in 2022, with 5,868 reported thefts through Dec. 12 compared with 3,966 in 2021 over the same period, according to Minneapolis Police.
Staff writer Paul Walsh contributed to this story.
The pilot was the only person inside the plane, and was not injured in the emergency landing, according to the State Patrol.
