Second Person Charged In Stolen Suni Lee Statue Case

SAINT PAUL, MN — A second person has been charged in connection with the theft of a bronze statue honoring Olympic gold medalist gymnast Suni Lee, according to the Saint Paul Police Department.

Officers responded to a residence in the 900 block of Forest Street around 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 28 after receiving reports of shots fired. Officers found spent rifle casings outside the multi-unit home, made announcements, and watched several people exit the residence.

A protective sweep of the home turned up no other people inside, and no injuries were reported.

A search warrant led to the recovery of multiple firearms and ammunition from inside the home. Officers also found the bronze statue of Lee, still intact, which had been reported stolen from Phalen Regional Park on July 31, 2025.

An adult male, later identified as Da'Shawn T. Caradine, 22, of Saint Paul, was arrested and booked into the Ramsey County Jail on a felony charge of receiving stolen property in connection with the statue.

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office charged a second person, Tamica N. Bazinet, 44, of Saint Paul, with the same offense on Monday. No arrests have been made in connection with the shots-fired investigation.

"Our city honored a great American, Minnesotan, and Saint Paulite, with a statue to celebrate her incredible achievements in multiple Olympic Games," Saint Paul Police Chief Axel Henry said.

"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 to what began as a shots fired call."

Police said plans are underway to reinstall the statue at Phalen Regional Park.

The statue was unveiled after Lee became the first Hmong American to compete in the Olympics.

She won gold in the all-around gymnastics competition at the Tokyo Games in 2021. The tribute has served as a point of pride for the East Side community and St. Paul as a whole, where Lee was born and raised.