Woman Arrested After Alleged Racist Assault in Waite Park
WAITE PARK—Police arrested a 33-year-old woman on Saturday after officers were dispatched to a knife complaint at an apartment building on the 200 block of 3rd St. S. in Waite Park.
Several 911 callers had reported that a woman was entering apartments and threatening to kill people while armed with a knife.
According to a media release, the suspect in the incident—Alyssa Marlys Holmberg, 33, of Waite Park—was seen by officers chasing a Somali man. An officer drew her taser and ordered Holmberg to get on the ground.
As officers attempted to place Holmberg in handcuffs, she resisted arrest, allegedly assaulted an officer and made several racist statements.
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Through interviews of witnesses, police learned Holmberg had yelled racist comments at a male who was walking past her and threw a jar of salsa at him, striking him in the back. She then started chasing the man, witnesses reported, and had been throwing pizza at other people inside the apartment building.
A criminal complaint also says that Holmberg had earlier entered an unlocked apartment twice and was yelling at the occupants, threatening to kill them and their family. Holmberg later allegedly threatened to kill two police officers as she was being arrested.
Holmberg was arrested and booked into the Stearns County Jail, charged with two counts of felony threats of violence, felony 1st-degree burglary, gross misdemeanor 4th-degree assault motivated by bias and gross misdemeanor 4th-degree assault on a peace officer.
Holmberg is being held without bail until an initial court appearance on Tuesday.
