Lake Phalen: Ugly bat attacks raise fear and resolve

Lake Phalen: Ugly bat attacks raise fear and resolve

As police look into the two Lake Phalen beatings, East Siders vow "to take back the park."

By ANTHONY LONETREE, Star Tribune

Last update: August 5, 2008 - 11:06 PM



When the assailants swung their bats, they meant business, aiming for the head in two attacks that occurred three days apart at St. Paul's normally peaceful Lake Phalen.

"Wannabe gangsters" targeted a 49-year-old woman battling cancer -- hoping to live long enough to see her son graduate in two years -- and an 18-year-old man out walking with his wife, police said Tuesday.

Seven people were in custody Tuesday, but no one is charged yet, as investigators from three police units explored possible connections between the assaults -- the second of which occurred Monday night as a vigil was held for the first victim.

"It's not just brazen and cold, it's worse. It's sick," said Sue McCall, a block club coordinator for the city's District 2 Community Council during a National Night Out gathering Tuesday at a Boys and Girls Club near the lake. "You just don't understand that type of behavior."

Charges could be filed today, a spokeswoman for the Ramsey County attorney's office said.

Police spokesman Peter Panos said Tuesday that investigators had yet to determine whether any of the suspects were involved in both assaults.

As the investigation continued, police weighed sending additional patrols to the area and park security officers stepped up their rounds of Lake Phalen.

"Neighbors want to take back the park," said Brad Meyer, a Parks Department spokesman.

Panos said that despite the back-to-back nature of the attacks, police consider the attacks to be "very isolated" incidents.

Safety in a community

At Tuesday's National Night Out event at the Boys Club, Police Chief John Harrington, whose family lives near the lake, said the area is safe.

"The more we're out together as a community, the safer we are," he said.

Earlier, two friends sitting under a tree near where the first attack occurred said they never felt unsafe at Lake Phalen. "It's real cool riding around here," said Sarah Boedigheimer, 18, of St. Paul, whose mountain bike lay in the grass nearby. "Real calming."
But her friend, Shawn Trudeau, 34, also of St. Paul, was a bit unnerved to learn that it was behind that tree where three assailants allegedly hid about 12:30 a.m. Friday, each with a bat. They left the 49-year-old victim, identified only as Tammie, with her hands and left forearm broken, and her left middle finger torn off.

Said Trudeau, "It may be the first and last time I stop at this tree."

Pam McCreary, St. Paul's National Night Out coordinator, said the attack "brought a lot of fear out of people. They're asking, 'What can I do to make this place safer?'"

Exploring gang ties

Just to the south of Lake Phalen, the East Side has witnessed new investment in the form of the Phalen Boulevard transportation and economic development initiative. There is new housing, as well as a new Cub Foods store under construction.

At Arlington Hills Presbyterian Church, people gathered before 7 p.m. Monday, preparing to march from the parking lot to the bent tree where Friday's attack occurred.

Then, sirens wailed.

About that time, a married man and woman, both of them 18, were walking on the east side of the lake, Panos said, when a youth ran by them, with four others chasing him. One pursuer continued on, he said, but the other three stopped and asked the married man whether he was a member of a specific gang.

He told them he wasn't, Panos said, but a fight ensued during which both the man and woman were punched, and a bat raised. The man managed to prevent the bat from striking his head, Panos said, but he was struck on the upper body. The injuries were not serious.

When police sirens sounded, the three suspects ran, and they eventually were nabbed on a path in a nearby wooded area. An aluminum bat was recovered, Panos said.

The remaining four suspects were arrested after witnesses said they believed a white minivan was connected to the incident. That van was stopped about three hours later, and three juveniles and a 22-year-old adult were arrested.

All seven suspects are associated with a gang, Panos said.

Among the witnesses to the second attack was Tammie's sister, who with her four children was headed to the vigil.

The Rev. Howard Dotson, who organized Monday's vigil, said traumatic incidents can either force people inside their homes or "bring them together to be productive."
He's hopeful, he said, that the East Side will be coming together.

At the National Night Out party on the East Side with five of his kids, James White, 50, echoed a similar sentiment.

"We all live here," he said. "We can't be scared."

Staff writers Terry Collins and Tim Harlow contributed to this report. Anthony Lonetree • 651-298-1545