A man with a long criminal history allegedly fired a handgun on a north Minneapolis street, then gave officers a fake name when they caught up with him minutes later, new charges say.
Melvin Sidney Collins, 48, of Minneapolis, faces felony charges of intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety and fifth-degree drug possession. The complaint was filed Wednesday in Hennepin County District Court.
Minneapolis police responded around 6:40 p.m. on Nov. 18, 2025, to a report of a gun being fired near the 1900 block of Newton Avenue North. Officers made contact with the person who called it in, and he showed them security camera footage of the incident, according to court documents.
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The footage showed a man in a brown coat with a distinct orange scarf point a handgun into the air and fire one round. The man then appeared to tamper with the handgun as he walked away, the complaint states.
Officers broadcast the suspect's description and direction of travel. A nearby officer spotted a man matching the description coming from the area and stopped him.
During a pat frisk, the officer found a Minnesota ID card for a person named Anthony Zeigler, and the suspect identified himself as Anthony, court records show. A background check showed the name had an active warrant, and the officer placed him under arrest.
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During a search, the officer found suspected narcotics on the man. He was transported to Hennepin Healthcare for evaluation of a suspected overdose. At the hospital, staff positively identified him as Collins.
On Nov. 24, 2025, officers weighed and tested the narcotics recovered during the arrest. The substance tested positive for fentanyl, the complaint states.
Collins is not in custody as of publication. Intentional discharge of a firearm that endangers safety is a felony carrying a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
Collins has an extensive criminal history in Hennepin County. In 1998, he was convicted of felon in possession of a pistol. In 2002, he was convicted of fifth-degree drug possession. In 2007, he was convicted of felony domestic assault after an incident in which a charge of domestic assault by strangulation was dismissed.
Later that same year, he was convicted of felony terroristic threats in a separate domestic case where a felony domestic assault charge was dismissed. In 2011, he was convicted of DWI after a fifth-degree drug possession charge tied to the same incident was dismissed.
Collins also has convictions for disorderly conduct in Waseca County in 2006 and possession of a small amount of marijuana in Hennepin County that same year. In total, court records show Collins has four felony convictions across Hennepin County, including two for domestic-related offenses.
