Police: Waite Park woman arrested after making threats; assaulting others with salsa, pizza

A Waite Park woman could face multiple charges after police say she threatened and assaulted tenants in an apartment building, according to the Waite Park Police Department.

According to police, the 33-year-old was arrested and held on the following charges:

  • Felony Threats of Violence
  • 2 counts of Felony 2nd Degree Assault
  • Felony Assault Motivated by Bias
  • Felony 1st Degree Burglary
  • Gross Misdemeanor 4th Degree Assault
  • 2 counts of Misdemeanor 5th Degree Assault
  • Misdemeanor Obstructing the Legal Process

Police say they were called to a knife complaint Saturday afternoon at an apartment building off of 3rd Street S. Several people called 911 and said that a woman was going into apartments and threatening to kill people with a knife.

When officers found the woman, police say she was chasing a Somali man. Eventually, an officer pulled her Taser and ordered the woman to get on the ground.

As police were handcuffing her, they say she began resisting arrest, assaulted an officer, threatened officers and made several racist comments. Police add she was eventually put in a restraint for safety concerns.

According to police, people inside told them she had yelled racist comments at a man walking past her and threw a jar of salsa at him, hitting him in the back, before beginning to chase him. Witnesses also said she threw pieces of pizza at people who were inside.

The woman is being held at the Stearns County Jail awaiting formal charges.