Man Caught Trying to Steal TV from Apartment Complex Party Room

A 22-year-old Crystal man was arrested last week for third degree burglary after allegedly attempting to steal a television set from an Edina apartment complex's party room.

Edina Police responded to the apartment complex at 5250 Villa Way shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 14, after a commercial alarm went off. A vehicle was pulling out of the complex as officers showed up, so they flipped on their lights and pursued the vehicle.

After running through a red light at the intersection of Vernon Avenue and West 53rd Street, the vehicle came to a stop and a passenger fled from the car on foot, according to the criminal complaint. Officers were able to successfully make contact with the driver of the vehicle, Darnell Jamar Reed, of Crystal, MN.

Reed reportedly told police he had been driving around with a passenger when they decided to pull into the apartment complex parking lot to allow a dog out of the vehicle. Upon pulling into the parking lot, Reed reportedly saw a sliding glass door open to the complex party room. He entered the party room without permission and attempted to steal a television by pulling it from a wall where it was mounted, according to the complaint.

After he failed to free the television from its wall mount, Reed returned to his vehicle and was leaving the parking lot when officers arrived. Reed said his passenger had been asleep at the time and had not participated in the attempted burglary. 

Police checked the party room, reporting the sliding door was indeed open at the time and the television set appeared to have been tampered with.

Reed faces one count of third degree burglary, a felony carrying a maximum penalty of five years in prison or a $10,000 fine.

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