Man charged for shooting at peace officer

A Brooklyn Park man has been charged for shooting at a peace officer following an attempted burglary, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Tuesday.

Marlon Collins, 31, faces charges of attempted first-degree murder, attempted second-degree intentional murder, first-degree assault, and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. Collins has previous felony convictions which prohibit him from possessing a gun.

Collins is scheduled to make his first appearance Feb. 23 at 1:30 p.m.

According to the criminal complaint, on Feb. 16, a 911 caller reported an attempted burglary at her home, prompting a Golden Valley Police Officer respond. When the officer arrived, he saw a suspicious vehicle sitting at an intersection just near the home and noticed a man matching the description of the suspect get into the front passenger seat of the car.

The officer attempted to initiate a stop of the vehicle, but the vehicle sped away. The chase reached speeds of around 70 mph and spanned multiple blocks before the vehicle crashed into a snowbank, the complaint states.

Both Collins and the officer exited their vehicles, at which point Collins began firing at the officer. Collins missed, continued running, then turned and stopped. He then fired more shots at the officer, striking the squad vehicle, the complaint says.

Collins then fled on foot, but officers found him nearby hiding behind a bush in the backyard of a home.

Throughout the course of the investigation, police found that Collins had broken into multiple homes in the area, including one which Collins had kicked the garage door and hid his pistol and clip after the shooting, the complaint continues. When officers found Collins’ gun, they discovered it was a modified Glock 19 with an extended clip capable of automatic fire.

Surveillance footage also showed that prior to the shooting and car chase, Collins had broken into a home in the area and stolen two small safes, which were discovered in the car in which Collins had been riding.

View the criminal complaint for Marlon Collins (PDF).