Gang Associate Threatened Minneapolis Officer On Facebook: Police

A suspected gang associate from New Hope has been charged for threatening a police officer over social media, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced Thursday. Trevor Deontre Schlotfeldt-Gidney, 22, is expected to make his first court appearance Thursday afternoon on a count of terroristic threats he allegedly made against a police officer on Facebook.

According to the criminal complaint, a Minneapolis police officer was working off-duty at a downtown nightclub on Oct. 8 and denied several known "Young ‘n Thuggin" gang members entrance to the club because of security reasons. There had been several gang shootings in the area recently, authorities said.

Police said it became aware of the interaction because of a series of posts and a video shared on Facebook. Comments online referred to the police officer as “12” and said he “won’t let Gang in the Club.” A post from Schlotfeldt-Gidney calls out the officer by name, threatens him, and includes images of a middle finger, a police officer, an explosion and a handgun, according to authorities.

The officer was interviewed and confirmed he had seen the posts and that based on his knowledge of the gang, this was a direct threat to his safety and should be taken seriously. He said that Schlotfeldt-Gidney saying that “Mfs need to wack his b---- a--” means Schlotfeldt-Gidney or the gang should kill the officer.

Police confirmed that Schlotfeldt-Gidney is an associate of the gang in part by his social media presence, including numerous photos of him with other known gang members and his use of gang signs, police said. "The Defendant has had numerous contacts with police including being a suspect in a shooting," the criminal complaint states.

Photo credit: AP Photo/James H. Collins