Rochester police say 'high-risk traffic stop' was appropriate given circumstances

Local police say an incident in Wabasha County involving a gun led to a “high-risk traffic stop” on North Broadway in Rochester on Wednesday.

Videos of the incident recorded by onlookers have been shared widely on social media platforms, with some criticizing what they describe as a “militaristic response” by law enforcement.

Rochester Police said Thursday its officers had been responding to a request from the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities there had advised Rochester Police that suspects connected with “threats being made with a firearm and assault” were traveling south on Highway 63 to Rochester.

The alleged incident, according to the Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office, took place at Macs Park Place campground in Mazeppa.

Once RPD officers located the vehicle, they conducted the high-risk traffic stop around 7:40 p.m. in a shopping plaza near the corner of North Broadway and 16th Street Northeast. At least a half dozen squad cars responded to the scene.

Officers detained all four individuals in the car for interviewing. The male driver, later identified as 24-year-old Yasin Nasir Muhidin, was arrested and charged with felony second-degree assault, felony terroristic threats and felony fifth-degree assault. The three female passengers were released.

The weapon used in the incident — an airsoft handgun resembling a real firearm — was later located along Highway 63 just outside of city limits.

“Due to the fact that a gun-pointing incident/assault was alleged, and based on the fact that it’s a high populous area… the decision was made to make a high-risk vehicle stop, not knowing if there were multiple guns in there or what they had in front of them,” said Rochester Police Chief Jim Franklin.

The timing of the incident comes as law enforcement faces intense scrutiny over its use of force. Demonstrators on the local and national levels are demanding change to how police interact with people of color.

Still, Franklin said his officers acted appropriately given the information they had. The department released a statement Thursday saying that “high-risk traffic stops are used to ensure the safety of the occupants, the officers involved in the stop, and the people in the area where the stop occurred.”

The statement goes on to say:

High-risk stops are a common tactic utilized by law enforcement to safely detain the individuals involved. Officers are needed to watch both sides of the vehicle, and additional officers are needed to make contact with the occupants to safely detain them away from the vehicle. There are many areas within a vehicle that officers cannot see during a traffic stop, having additional officers on scene allows additional views of the vehicle. Being able to have a better view of the vehicle increases the safety of everyone and decreases the chances that mistakes will be made.

In an interview, Franklin urged caution as people react to videos pushed out to social media. Oftentimes, he said, the videos represent only a snapshot of what is happening, adding that they do not provide any context to the circumstances surrounding the situation.

“That’s part of the complexity of the job of law enforcement,” said Franklin. “We are reacting to what’s in front of us without the hard facts.”

This latest incident marks the second time this week that the Rochester Police Department has faced fallout over its dealings with people of color. (Our report on the previous incident can be found here.)

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.