Charges: Minneapolis man targeted mosque several times before hit-and-run

A Minneapolis man has been charged with assault after a hit-and-run outside a Minneapolis mosque on Wednesday that left a pedestrian injured.

James Evan Suttles was charged with second-degree assault for using his car as a dangerous weapon to intentionally hit a man, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.

Muslim leaders and advocates in the state gathered on Friday for a press conference calling on the community to support Muslim people.

The Minnesota chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MN) released surveillance video of Wednesday afternoon’s incident, which shows a minivan round a corner before accelerating straight into a man walking through the parking lot of Alhikma Islamic Center around 12:30 p.m.

Law enforcement said the victim was thrown onto the hood of the minivan before falling to the ground and hitting his head.

As the victim then ran away to seek cover, the van backed up and drove away.

Minneapolis police say the victim, who is 36, was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Law enforcement is investigating the hit-and-run as a possible bias crime.

“We are concerned for the safety and wellbeing of the members of the Alhikma Islamic Center Mosque where this occurred,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. “In light of Mr. Suttles intentionally hitting the victim with a minivan, as well as his prior violent incidents at this mosque, we are seeking high bail. This was a terrifying incident, and I am thankful the victim did not suffer more serious injuries. We are grateful to the Minneapolis Police Department for taking action quickly to investigate and arrest Mr. Suttles and we will continue to partner with their team to investigate the motive. If through further investigation we determine that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this incident was motivated by bias we will prosecute accordingly.” 

A spokesperson for CAIR says the man who was injured is a CAIR-MN staffer.

During Friday’s press conference, a spokesperson for CAIR, Jaylani Hussein, said that Minnesota sees more bias incidents toward Muslims than any other state.

A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said the Minneapolis police are aware of multiple complaints within the past month of Suttles harassing and intimidating people who come to the mosque. On May 5, Suttles was formally trespassed from the Alhikma Islamic Center because he was parked in the parking lot for an extended period of time watching the mosque.

A religious leader at the mosque also told law enforcement that Suttles had assaulted him in the past while he was inside the mosque.

This isn’t Suttles’ first incident with the mosque, as Minneapolis police report several other incidents over the past few years, including an incident in which Suttles assaulted another person who came to the mosque, an incident where he sprayed mace into the mosque and an incident where he slashed several cars’ tires in the parking lot of the mosque.

Hussein says his community is concerned about these attacks escalating further.

Watch the full video of Friday’s CAIR press conference below.