Bloomington police recover stolen crab legs and meth pipes following chases

Bloomington police chases turn up crab legs, meth

Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges spoke in a recorded video about two separate pursuits that resulted in the recovery of stolen property, narcotics and multiple arrests.

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. (FOX 9) - Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges shared videos of two pursuits that saw officers recover drug paraphernalia and stolen crab legs.

The chief added that he hopes the suspects, who differ in age and ethnicity, will be treated the same under the new Hennepin County policy that asks for a defendant's race and age to be considered when offering plea deals.

Bloomington police pursuits

Big picture view:

The first video shows a stolen vehicle being stopped with a Pursuit Intervention Technique (PIT) maneuver after Automated License Plate Recognition (ALPR) technology detected it at Mall of America, according to Chief Hodges.

The chief added that the chase resulted in two suspects, 30-year-old Shaquille Josiah Leerdman and 22-year-old Gavin Tyree Gavin, being arrested on charges of fleeing police and possession of a stolen vehicle.

The second video shows a police pursuit after a local Fresh Thyme grocery store reported the suspects had stolen crab legs, police say.

That pursuit resulted in the arrest of 26-year-old Ariyana Faythe Devoy and 66-year-old Frank Anthony Loprete.

"I guess they just really needed those crab legs," Chief Hodges said.

Chief Hodges then held up booking photos of the suspects from the separate incidents, who are of different races, saying, "So we got ebony and ivory, and they are gonna go get to see Mary, the county attorney, who came up with a new policy. And we'll see if they get treated the same. Hopefully, they do."

The police chief pointed out that officers recovered drug paraphernalia from both incidents.

Hennepin County Attorney's Office policy

Dig deeper:

Last week, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriatry enacted a policy that tells prosecutors to consider a defendant's race and age when negotiating plea deals. That policy is now under investigation by the United States Department of Justice.