Suspect facing charges in Golden Valley stabbing ‘could be related’ to crash that left 11-year-old dead, police say

A suspect who is facing charges in a stabbing in Golden Valley on Friday “could be related” to a crash that left an 11-year-old girl dead earlier this week, according to the Golden Valley Police Department.

Law enforcement said that officers received a call around 6:15 a.m. about a man who reported being stabbed at Theodore Wirth Parkway and Olson Memorial Highway. When police arrived, they found a man with multiple stab wound injuries near a black GMC. He was then brought to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Golden Valley police later responded to a call from Minneapolis Parks staff about a “half-naked” man inside a maintenance building and brought him in for additional questioning.

During the investigation, officers received a call from a homeowner in the Hidden Lakes community near Theodore Wirth Park whose home had been broken into. An E-bike was missing and police found a pair of shoes inside the home.

Surveillance video showed the man who was in custody at the police department running from several houses and trying to get inside. Police later recovered the stolen E-bike in a wooded area near Theodore Wirth Park.

“Based on the information we have now, the two males got into some type of argument and the suspect began to stab the victim,” said Golden Valley Police Chief Virgil Green. “The truck they were in crashed in a wooded area, and the suspect fled into the Hidden Lakes neighborhood. Officers determined the suspect and victim were both under the influence of some type of illegal substance. It’s still early in the investigation, and currently we are not releasing the names of the suspect or victim.”

Golden Valley police said the suspect will be booked at the Hennepin County Detention facility and is facing charges of assault with a dangerous weapon and burglary for breaking and entering into the maintenance building.

Police added that there is no danger to the public.

In a later update, Golden Valley police said that “the suspect we arrested this morning could be related to a serious car accident on Wednesday morning involving parents taking their kids to school… Where an 11 year old girl died from her injuries.”

On Wednesday morning, two parents and their four children were on the way to school when a driver ran a stop sign at the intersection of County Road 6 and County Road 110 in Independence and struck the family’s vehicle, the West Hennepin Public Safety Department said.

All six victims in the family’s vehicle were brought to nearby hospitals, and the family confirmed that the 11-year-old girl died on Friday.