Minnesota State Fair gang lawsuit: 7 out of 10 alleged gang members agree to stay away
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Minnesota officials discussed the lawsuit to prevent gang violence at the Minnesota State Fair on Thursday afternoon, and highlighted how it will be enforced.
Minnesota State Fair gang lawsuit update
What we know:
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Minnesota State Fair Police Chief Ron Knafla held a press conference on the lawsuit to prevent gang violence at the Minnesota State Fair.
Ellison said during the press conference that recent social media posts indicated that two rival gangs, Muddy and The Ville, planned a violent confrontation at the State Fair.
Seven of the 10 alleged gang members, three associated with Muddy and four associated with The Ville, have agreed not to attend the fair. Ellison says if they comply, once the fair is over, Ellison and Choi will drop all legal action against them.
The three remaining people, all alleged members of the Muddy gang, either did not appear in court or contested the allegations against them, Ellison said.
The Ramsey County District Court found Thursday that those three people are members of the Muddy gang, and has granted the state's request to "prohibit" them from associating with other known gang members, confronting or intimidating anyone at the fair, and using gang signs at the fair or within the safety zone.
The court has also ruled that the Muddy gang is a criminal gang.
Ellison says that the court order prevents the seven who agreed not to show up to the fair, and if they violate that order, law enforcement measures would be taken against them. The other three alleged gang members are prohibited from unlawful activity within the safety area around the fair.
Knafla says State Fair police are "sensitive" to not interfering with anybody's rights, or anybody who is just at the fair to enjoy it. He said they would rely on the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office, who knows these members, to take action against the alleged gang members. Knafla says if an officer sees an alleged gang member on the list, they will contact the sheriff's office to confirm and take law enforcement action.
Fair agreement
The backstory:
In joint stipulations filed with the court on Wednesday and Thursday, seven men, who are identified by prosecutors as members of the Muddy and the Ville gangs, 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 Aug. 27 to Sept. 7 – the dates of the fair – and not aid any gang activity in that area during those dates.
Dig deeper:
Earlier this month, Ramsey County filed a lawsuit seeking 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.