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Kansas City man charged for Carver Fleet Farm stabbing assault
The attack left a 17-year-old employee with a 2- to 3-inch laceration to the back of her neck.
CARVER, Minn. — Editor’s note: The video above first aired on KARE 11 on Nov. 25, 2024.
A Kansas City man is being held in the Carver County Jail on assault charges after prosecutors alleged he critically injured a teenage Fleet Farm employee.
The criminal complaint filed Tuesday showed 31-year-old Gerald Hudson was charged with first- and second-degree assault, for the attack that left the 17-year-old employee with a 2- to 3-inch laceration to the back of her neck. Court documents said the alleged assault occurred inside the company’s Carver location just after 2 p.m. Sunday.
According to prosecutors, surveillance video showed Hudson entering the store before walking past the teen and to the end of an aisle. Authorities claimed Hudson looked right and then left before turning around and making a “striking movement” toward the teen, who was then seen on video holding the back of her neck and running from the area.
A witness told police they heard the teen yell, “he just stabbed me,” and saw the suspect, now identified as Hudson, run outside to the parking lot and drive away.
The complaint said Hudson was arrested in Chanhassen and brought in for questioning, where authorities claim he made a number of voluntary statements, including, “I didn’t stab anyone, I didn’t have any guns or anything like that, I just hit someone with a thing.”
The teen, prosecutors said, was taken to HCMC for treatment and her last known condition was critical but stable.
At the time of the filing, prosecutors said a potential weapon had still not been located.
A judge set bail for Hudson on Tuesday and scheduled his next court appearance for Dec. 13.
The temporary rental fencing is a big win for the suicide awareness group that advocated for it, but not a permanent solution.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Washington Avenue Bridge on the University of Minnesota campus, which is used by 20,0000 pedestrians and 7,000 bicyclists every day, now has temporary chain link fencing across the entire span — a safety measure meant to prevent and reduce suicide.
“For the first time in decades there is an opportunity here to prevent suicide and save lives,” said Erich Mische, CEO of suicide awareness group SAVE, which fought for the barrier as part of Kayla’s Hope, an initiative started in the name of Kayla Gaebel — a young woman who died by suicide — to fund suicide prevention barriers.
“It interrupts the suicidal impulsivity. That’s the whole purpose behind a physical barrier,” Mische said. “Someone who is contemplating suicide, there is a period of time where if you can interrupt that impulsivity, you can save their life. They will rethink that decision.”
A University spokesperson said the chain link fencing, which is a temporary rental, comes at an estimated cost of $75,000.
The bridge itself is owned by Hennepin County. So figuring out funding — and approval — for a more permanent solution has been a challenge these advocates have run into.
“And that’s why we kind of now turn our attention and focus to urging Hennepin County to take the next step to do the next thing that needs to be done to strengthen what the University has done and make sure we’re doing all we can to prevent suicide,” Mische said.
But Mische shared the reaction of Kayla’s mother — who shared her story with KARE 11 News in the past — after U of M President Rebecca Cunningham approved the current measure.
“I called MJ after the conversation with Dr. Cunningham, and there was a little bit of silence, then followed by an enormous amount of gratitude to Dr. Cunningham and the University of Minnesota for taking this step,” Mische said.
Dr. Cunningham in a statement said, in part: “The University of Minnesota prioritizes the health of our students, faculty, staff and visitors… and we will continue to explore how we can work together to fund and implement long-term solutions in the future.”
The next step will be for Hennepin County to consider an enhancement to this current solution which could come at a cost of up to $1 million. The University estimates a more permanent solution would cost $8 or $9 million.
TURTLE RIVER, Minn. — A 19-year-old was killed in a two-vehicle collision Tuesday morning just north of Bemidji.
The Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office says the crash occurred at around 10:40 a.m. at Bemidji Road Northeast and Island View Drive Northeast near Turtle River. It’s unclear what led up to the crash, but officials say it involved two vehicles. One of the people in the vehicles, a 19-year-old man, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second person, an adult female, was transported to the Sanford Emergency Department in Bemidji with unknown injuries.
Authorities have not yet released the names of the two people involved.
Repairs on the bridge began in April, with crews repairing and replacing stone, replacing the mortar, and making other fixes to the historic structure.
MINNEAPOLIS — Starting next week the downtown side of the Stone Arch Bridge will be closed as repairs continue on the popular walking path.
Work began in April, with crews repairing and replacing stone, replacing the mortar on the entire bridge, and making other repairs as needed. According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT), this work will slow deterioration and improve the conditions of the bridge.
While the bridge is being worked on, people can still walk and bike halfway across. The first side to close was the St. Anthony Main side, which will be reopening after the downtown side closes on Dec. 2.
The Stone Arch Bridge was built in the 1880s by James J. Hill’s Great Northern Railroad. At its peak, it brought 80 passenger trains a day to Union Station, according to the Minneapolis Parks Board. Ownership of the bridge was transferred to Hennepin County in the 1990s and it was converted to a pedestrian and bicycle path.
The downtown side will be closed through the fall of 2025, and MnDOT anticipates work being done and the bridge reopening by the spring of 2026.
