Cooler but still well above normal this week

MPR News helps you turn down the noise and build shared understanding. Turn up your support for this public resource and keep trusted journalism accessible to all. 

Turn Up Your Support

In his first federal court appearance since being charged for carjacking then crashing a Volkswagen — killing two women and seriously injuring a child while fleeing police — Edward Tiki Arrington claimed not to understand why he was there. 

“I don’t consent and I don’t approve. I don’t even know why I’m here,” Arrington, 45, said when Judge David Schultz read him his legal rights, including the right to a public defender. “I’ve been kidnapped for all I know.”

Arrington, who is also known as Troy Payton, appeared in a neck brace and wheelchair, having been hospitalized after the alleged carjacking and police pursuit in Minneapolis early September.

The judge explained why Arrington was in court. At the mention of “carjacking,” Arrington audibly scoffed. 

Though Arrington objected to legal counsel, he did not waive his right and was provided a public defender. Schultz noted he was “skeptical” that Arrington didn’t understand why he was there. 

U.S. Department of Justice officials earlier this month noted that Arrington faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison, if convicted on the federal charges. They added that “carjacking resulting in death is a death penalty-eligible crime.”

Arrington also faces 11 felony counts in state court in Hennepin County. 

According to state and federal court filings, authorities received 911 calls the morning of Sept. 4 about a person with a gun near East Lake Street and Fourth Avenue South in Minneapolis who had been driving an SUV into oncoming traffic and over sidewalks.

The man, allegedly Arrington, left the SUV after it crashed, pointed a gun at another driver who fled, then carjacked a Volkswagen Passat. He pointed a gun at two others while transferring several dogs from the crashed SUV into the stolen Volkswagen.

Arrington is alleged to have fired a gun at a passing vehicle while fleeing. When Minneapolis officers later located the stolen Volkswagen, Arrington allegedly fled.

Half an hour after the 911 calls, Arrington allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Highway 55/Olson memorial Highway and Penn Avenue, where he crashed into the victims’ car “at full speed.”

The State Patrol identified the two women who died at the scene as Marisa Casebolt and Liberty Borg, both 25 years old and from Minneapolis. 

Court filings state that a 6-year-old boy in their vehicle — the son of one of the women — was hospitalized with fractures to the femur and a traumatic brain injury.

Authorities said they recovered a firearm from the Volkswagen, along with a discharged cartridge.

Federal justice officials said he “has a long and extensive criminal history that includes state convictions for assault and firearms offenses and a 2009 federal conviction for possession with intent to distribute cocaine.”

Crime, Law and Justice

NewsPartners

Homepage

Cari Spencer

Author

Edward Tiki Arrington, who is also known as Troy Payton, appeared in a neck brace and wheelchair, having been hospitalized after the alleged carjacking and police pursuit in Minneapolis early September.

Alleged Minneapolis carjacker who killed two women and injured a child makes first appearance

Go Deeper.

Like this?

News you can use in your inbox