HASTINGS, MN – An Eagan man was arrested after a series of events in which witnesses reported he struck families driving in their vehicles, ran away wearing no pants, gouged a firefighter’s eyes, and repeatedly spat on a paramedic.
Michael Papa, 46, of 1388 Lakeside Circle, Eagan, is facing several criminal charges, including a felony charge of threats of violence, in connection with the Oct. 6 episode, according to a Dakota County criminal complaint.
Papa was arrested after police were called to the scene of a vehicle crash at the intersection of 160th Street E. and General Sieben Drive in Marshan Township and arrived to find the suspect vehicle, a white Hyundai Elantra, had left the scene and caught fire. The suspect than fled on foot. An officer found the suspect standing next to a truck, banging on the door. Police described the suspect, later identified as Papa, as “wearing a white t-shirt, dark-colored jacket, and his pants had fallen down around his ankles.”
Police allege Papa refused to follow a police officer’s commands and instead walked up to one of the damaged cars and yelled at the driver “I’ll kill all of you.” Papa continued to yell and resist arrest, shouting “I’ll kill him. How many do I have to kill today?” according to police.
Papa is accused of ramming into the truck of a driver who stopped to help him after his car appeared to be broken down in the roadway. Witnesses reported they were driving their 2016 Dodge Ram when, thinking the driver needed help, they stopped behind a stationary car with its flashers on. The witnesses reported the Elantra then backed up, driving around the truck that stopped to help, rammed the Good Samaritan’s truck from behind, and sped away. The victim tried to follow but was unable to safely keep up at the speed the vehicle was driving.
The victim called 911. Then watched as the car that struck his struck an SUV. The driver of the SUV told police she had been driving with her son when he cautioned that a car was quickly approaching theirs. The approaching vehicle then rammed the victim’s Chevy Equinox from behind, spinning the car until it faced the opposite direction, and injuring the mother and son.
The driver who hit the victim’s car got out of his car and began pounding on another vehicle, trying to get in, before running from the scene according to police. A witness reported the fleeing driver as “a heavy set male with a shaved head [who] appeared to be on drugs…he had a white t-shirt on and his pants kept falling down.”
A passerby stopped and spoke to the crash victims, according to court documents. When she saw Papa standing in the road, she honked her horn at him. The suspect, whom she described as wearing a navy sweater and no pants, reached into her car window, grabbed her hair and the car door handle, and yelled “get the [expletive deleted] out.” The passerby sped off and called 911.
Another passerby reported a man with no pants running towards his car. The passerby asked the man if he was OK, then drove off as the man tried to open his car door.
A firefighter driving through the area with his wife and child then came upon the crash scene. When he saw Papa in the road, the firefighter started to open his door to get out of his truck. Papa then allegedly charged at the firefighter, gouged his eyes, scratching the firefighter’s eyeballs, and began throwing haymaker punches, according to the complaint. After removing Papa from his truck, according to court documents, the firefighter then put on his gear to fight the car fire.
Police then arrived and arrested Papa, according to the complaint. He was transferred from police car to an ambulance. While medics were tending to Papa, he allegedly removed a towel used to cover his face and began spitting at one of the paramedics. Police obtained a search warrant to test Papa’s blood and are awaiting results, according to court records.