WINONA, Minn. – Two masked men, dressed in all black, jumped and beat a third man at Lake Park, struck him with a metal pipe, bound his arms and feet with duct tape, and continued pounding him with the pipe. A teen-age girl, who was passing by, witnessed the attack and called police. Officers found the victim, age 19, conscious on the ground. They cut off the tape. He had bruises and cuts on his forehead, an elbow and a knee. He was taken to the hospital, where a doctor stitched up the knee. Police had arrived at the park about 10 minutes after the assailants fled, said the witness. This was about 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Police, however, went silent until a news briefing Thursday, explaining they needed to protect their evolving investigation.
Assault at bandshell playground
The assault was in the dimly lit playground near the Lake Park bandshell. The victim told police he had been waiting for a former girlfriend with whom he had agreed to meet at the playground swings. While waiting, he was jumped. Recounting what happened, he told police he was sure he had been “set up.” Police used the victim’s phone to locate the former girlfriend. She told officers that she had been sexually assaulted several months earlier by the man who was beaten. She said she had confided to a male friend about the sexual violation. The friend, she said, was angered and told her he would “take care of it.” She claimed to know nothing about the Lake Park attack.
Digital evidence
On the former girlfriend’s phone the police found communication with Elias Thang Workman, 19, of Winona. At his place officers found grass-stained black garb. Five hours after the attack, about 2:40 a.m, Workman was booked at the county jail for:
> Assault with a deadly weapon.
> False imprisonment.
> Threats of violence with reckless disregard for risk.
> Aggravated robbery.
Police said they were still looking for a second assailant.
By light of day. The playground swings in the shadow of the Lake Park bandshell.
Workman. Arrested after digital tracking.
New police tools
Winona police expedited their investigation with recently acquired equipment to track cell phone communication. Previously they needed to send devices to Rochester or other police agencies to dissect for content.