St. Paul police recover stolen bronze bust of Olympic champion gymnast Suni Lee
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More than a year after it was stolen from St. Paul’s Phalen Regional Park, a statue of Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee was recovered by police Friday from a home in the city.
The bronze bust was found by officers conducting a search warrant on the city’s east side, following a shots-fired call. One person was in custody Friday in connection with the theft.
“Our city honored a great American, Minnesotan, and Saint Paulite, with a statue to celebrate her incredible achievements in multiple Olympic Games. Last year, disrespectful and shameless thieves decided to desecrate this tribute by stealing the statue from our community. I am happy to report that the statue of Suni Lee has been recovered thanks to our officers’ diligent response,” St. Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said in a news release Friday.
The police department said plans are underway to reinstall the statue at Phalen Regional Park “in the near future.” It was originally unveiled there in 2023. It was reported missing on July 31, 2025.
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According to St. Paul police, the series of events leading to its recovery started with a shots-fired call on the 900 block of Forest Street just after 12:30 a.m. Friday.
Officers found spent rifle casings outside of the building, conducted a sweep to make sure no one was injured, and then obtained a search warrant for the home. They found firearms, ammunition — and the bronze bust, intact.
Authorities said a man was arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property, in connection to the statue theft. No one was arrested in connection with the gunfire.
The theft of the Suni Lee bust was the second statue theft in St. Paul in 2024. A statue of author F. Scott Fitzgerald was stolen in February 2024 and cut into pieces. A suspect in that case was arrested after allegedly trying to sell those pieces to a metal recycler.
