A crowd of people at the Minnesota State Fair on Sunday, August 27, 2023. (FOX 9)
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Amid a lawsuit brought by the Ramsey County Attorney and Minnesota Attorney General, three alleged members of the Muddy gang have agreed to skip the 2026 Minnesota State Fair, according to court documents filed Wednesday.
Fair agreement filed
What we know:
In a joint stipulation filed with the court on Wednesday, three men, who are identified by prosecutors as members of the Muddy gang, have agreed not to attend the 2026 Minnesota State Fair.
As part of the agreement, the men say they will also avoid a "safety area" around the fairgrounds from August 27 to Sept. 7 – the dates of the fair – and not aid any gang activity in that area during those dates.
The other side:
If the members abide by the agreement, the Ramsey County Attorney and AG's office have agreed to dismiss them from the lawsuit.
The documents entered on the court file Wednesday morning had not yet been signed off by the judge in the case, but all three men had agreed to the stipulation.
The stipulation was filed on Wednesday prior to a court hearing scheduled in the case.
The backstory:
Earlier this month, Ramsey County filed a lawsuit to block two gangs from attending the fair.
Attorneys were asking the court to prevent the Muddy and The Ville gangs from going into the "safety zone" that covers the fairgrounds and some surrounding neighborhoods.
Officials argued that recent shootings in St. Paul, like the Metro State graduation shooting, and near the fair have involved the gangs.
Officials said, if granted, the lawsuit would give law enforcement the ability to arrest any gang member who violated the order and attended the fair without the need for probable cause of another crime being committed.