A 26-year-old Hopkins man arrested outside the UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka on Monday morning had told the FBI he was going to “shoot up” the inside of the building if his past criminal charges were not dismissed, charges filed Tuesday say.
After Ian Stanley Wagner surrendered to law enforcement without incident, the charges say, a search of his Volkswagen turned up a loaded .38-caliber revolver and a bag with 16 additional rounds, both on the front passenger seat.
Ian Stanley Wagner (Courtesy of the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)
The incident comes months after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City on Dec. 4 as he was walking to an investor conference in midtown Manhattan. The alleged killer, Luigi Mangione, 26, faces both state and federal charges.
However, police and company officials said Monday there was no indication that Wagner had specific grievances against UnitedHealthcare itself.
Minnetonka police knew of Wagner’s mental health issues and harassing behavior, the criminal complaint says.
Court records show that in February, Wagner was convicted of threats of violence in Hennepin County. At the time of Monday’s incident, he was wanted on arrest warrants in that case and in connection with two others that allege restraining order violations.
On Tuesday, Minnetonka police filed a petition for an extreme risk protection order against Wagner, noting that he is a risk to himself and others.
He remains at the Hennepin County jail in lieu of $500,000 bail ahead of a Wednesday initial court appearance on four felony charges: two counts of threats of violence and two counts of possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person who is not eligible due to a conviction for a crime of violence. A defense attorney is not listed in the court file.
‘Shoot up’ UnitedHealthcare
According to Tuesday’s criminal complaint, Minnetonka police were sent to UnitedHealthcare headquarters at 10:55 a.m. after the FBI reported being in real-time contact with a suspect “manifesting intent to enter and ‘shoot up’ corporate facilities.”
The FBI said the suspect identified himself as Wagner and stated he was parked at UnitedHealthcare with a loaded firearm.
An FBI negotiator spoke with Wagner while additional law enforcement officers secured the scene. Law enforcement contacted eight nearby commercial buildings to go into lockdown.
Wagner surrendered to law enforcement about 11:45 a.m.
Law enforcement’s investigation revealed a recorded 911 call from that morning in which Wagner told a 911 dispatcher that he would be firing into the UnitedHealth building if criminal charges against him were not dropped. According to the complaint, “Wagner said, ‘Do you want an evacuation on the news?’ or words to that effect,” the complaint says.
He was on house arrest
Wagner was sentenced to four months of electronic home monitoring and three years of probation Feb. 28 after pleading guilty in Hennepin County District Court to two counts of threats of violence relating to an Aug. 9 offense in Minnetonka. The details of that case were not clear Tuesday. He was given a home monitoring strap on March 10 and ordered to return to the county jail on April 3. He failed to do so, and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Wagner has two other open criminal cases.
He was charged by warrant Jan. 24 in St. Louis County for allegedly violating a restraining order two days earlier. He failed to appear at an April 8 remote arraignment hearing and a warrant was issued for his arrest.
He was charged April 1 by warrant in Hennepin County with violating a harassment restraining order on March 29.
According to Tuesday’s petition for an extreme risk protection order, Wagner’s harassment involves someone he met at a college campus. In 2023, Wagner threatened to burn the victim’s home down. Last year, police were called when he took a BB gun with him to confront the victim.
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