A St. Paul’s man Friday night crime spree began with a carjacking in the Summit-University area and soon included a crash downtown, where he then tried to steal more cars at gunpoint, fired shots toward several others and pointed the weapon at two police officers, according to a 14-count criminal complaint filed Monday.
Eric Deonta Hill (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)
The officers ordered Eric Deonta Hill to drop the gun, which he did, but then ran and was tackled to the ground and arrested. His silver Smith & Wesson five-shot revolver contained three spent shell casings and a live round of ammunition, the complaint says.
Hill, 36, remains at the Ramsey County jail in lieu of $5 million bail ahead of an initial court appearance Tuesday morning. An attorney for Hill is not listed in the court file.
The complaint
According to the complaint:
Officers were called to a carjacking about 9:20 p.m. Friday near the intersection of Avon Street and Selby Avenue.
A 20-year-old man said he was sitting in his 2014 Nissan Altima waiting for a friend when a man, later identified as Hill, opened the driver’s door and pulled up his t-shirt to display a dark-colored handgun.
Hill then pulled out the gun, pointed it at the man and told him to get out, which he did. Hill got in and drove off.
The man’s friend and his friend’s mother witnessed the carjacking.
Chain-reaction crash
Less than 10 minutes later, about 9:30 p.m., officers were sent to Kellogg Boulevard and Robert Street on a call involving an accident with injuries and shots fired.
The two St. Paul officers came upon the car crash in an unmarked squad car and saw Hill standing in traffic. As they drove toward Hill, he stepped to the side, raised a silver firearm and pointed it at the them, the complaint says. They stopped a short distance away and approached Hill, who was ordered to drop the handgun. After he dropped the gun and ran, one of the officers chased him down.
Hill appeared to be under the influence of drugs and was taken to a hospital for an evaluation. Officers obtained a blood sample from Hill following a search warrant.
Three vehicles were involved in a chain-reaction crash — a 2015 Infiniti QX60 was rear-ended by a 2020 Hyundai Kona, which was rear-ended by the stolen Nissan.
Officers spoke to a 39-year-old man who said he was driving the Infiniti for Lyft with five passengers and stopped at a red light when he was rear-ended. He said Hill got out of the Nissan with a silver handgun and pointed it at him, his passengers and at the driver of the Hyundai. Hill shouted at them to get out of their vehicles. They got out and ran. Hill looked into the Infiniti, grabbed phones and ran.
One of the Lyft passengers said Hill went up to a passenger side window and tapped on it with a silver revolver. When the passenger refused to get out, Hill fired a shot into the air.
Two people who had driven up to the crash in a Jeep Cherokee said Hill walked toward their SUV while pointing a silver handgun at them. Hill pulled the trigger twice, but no shots were fired, they told police. Hill pulled the trigger a third time, firing toward one of the victims and shattering the windshield. He pulled on the driver’s door handle before they sped away.
Officers found a second handgun and two spent casings inside the stolen Nissan. The Glock handgun, which had been reported stolen, was in slide-lock and its magazine was empty.
Caught on video
Downtown surveillance video caught the incident.
After crashing the stolen Nissan at a high rate of speed, Hill approached the Lyft driver’s side window while reaching into his waistband. He tried to open the driver’s door with his right arm extended and pointing. He got into the driver’s seat, before going to the Hyundai.
After a brief interaction at the Hyundai, Hill walked toward Kellogg Boulevard. He pointed the gun at a white SUV, which sped off. He pointed the gun at the Jeep and a muzzle flash appeared from his gun, followed by the windshield exploding.
Hill then approached the unmarked squad and raised the gun at it as it passed by.
Related Articles
Man shot and killed in Bloomington driveway early Sunday morning
Woman drowned at White Bear Lake Sunday afternoon after jumping into water
Three shot and injured on St. Paul rooftop pool area Saturday night
How client advocates are quietly reshaping criminal defense
Suspected assassin was one of thousands Walz appointed to various boards
Hill pointed the gun at another SUV and tried opening its door before the driver sped away. Hill pointed the gun at a dark SUV, before he went out of camera view.
7 prior felony convictions
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office charged Hill with two counts each of second-degree murder, attempted carjacking and possession of a firearm by an ineligible person; one count each of first-degree carjacking, first-degree attempted carjacking and first-degree aggravated robbery; and five counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon.
Hill has seven prior felony convictions: three for possession of a firearm by an ineligible person; one each for second-degree assault involving a firearm, theft of oxycodone; and two for receiving stolen property.
At the time of Friday’s crime spree, Hill was wanted by the Minnesota Department of Corrections for absconding from his supervised release, according to the complaint.
Leave a Reply