Minneapolis man charged with arson, assault after threatening neighbor with ax

A Minneapolis man has been charged with arson and assault with a dangerous weapon for an incident stemming from November of last year.

According to a criminal complaint, 52-year-old Jason Alexander Tucker is accused of threatening his neighbor with an ax on Nov. 5 at an apartment complex on the 2800 block of 31st Avenue South.

In addition to threatening his neighbor with an ax, the complaint states Tucker threw a brick through his neighbor’s window and used a fire torch on the neighbor’s door.

Although police arrested Tucker that day after forcing his door open, he isn’t currently in custody. It is unclear why Tucker was let go after the arrest, but the complaint says he is currently wanted, saying:

“Based on the violent nature of this case and DEFENDANT’S outstanding warrant, the State requests a warrant here to protect public safety and secure DEFENDANT’S appearance.”

After officers arrived on Nov. 5, the victim told police the Nov. 5 incident stemmed from an incident the day before, where Tucker threatened him with an ax and also damaged his door.

The victim told police he’d heard loud bangs on his door, then opened the door to see Tucker, who allegedly swung an ax at him. The victim told police he fought back with a metal pipe, hit Tucker in the arm, and closed the door.

Additional officers entering the building from the back say they smelled smoke and found a propane torch, which was lit and burning a hole into the door of the victim’s unit. Officers then turned off the torch and put out the flames with an extinguisher.

Police eventually arrested Tucker after forcing their way into Tucker’s apartment, where they also spotted a large ax.

Documents state Tucker also has a warrant out of Duluth for violating his probation in a 2019 case, where he was charged with domestic assault and domestic abuse. The assault charge was dismissed; however, he was convicted of the abuse charge and sentenced to serve time in the St. Louis County Jail, followed by a year of probation. That sentence was amended in 2021 to have his probation extended by six months, for a total of 18 months.

The 2021 charges hold the possibility of several decades behind bars. If convicted of the arson charge, Tucker could face a 20-year sentence, a $20,000 fine, or both. The assault charge carries a seven-year sentence, a fine of up to $14,00, or both.