Maplewood kids claim assault by armed man

WINONA, Minn. — A 14-year-old boy suffered a cut eyebrow in a confrontation with an adult man who, by some accounts, struck the boy with a black handgun. This was about 8 p.m. in a series of encounters that began at the Belmont Whitten pocket park and playground under the Pelzer Street overpass. The boy and a 15-year-old buddy told police that a man in a car driven by a woman yelled threateningly at them. The rant was inexplicable, they said. They decided it best to head home and began walking a few blocks to the Maplewood apartment complex. The couple in the car then intercepted them and resumed yelling, the boys said. Police were by called a witness. By the time officers arrived, the alleged assailant had left in a car reportedly still driven by the woman. Police located the car three hours later a few blocks away. Police asked the man, age 21, and the woman, 20, what happened.  They acknowledged a confrontation but didn’t want to explain it, officers said. The couple claimed there was no physical assault and no gun. Police found no gun in the car. The witness who originally called 911 reported having seen a man jump the boys with a scuffle following. When interviewed, however, the witness couldn’t confirm for sure whether there was a gun. Both boys said there was a punch and a blow with a gun — and pointed to the 14-year-old’s cut eyebrow. About the injury: An ambulance paramedic patched up the eyebrow but didn’t take the boy to the hospital. Did either of the parties know each other? Those stories were inconsistent too, police said. What really happened? Police hoped to find surveillance video that might shed some light.

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