Police: Injured woman found in Cottage Grove, Minn. storage unit after alleged assault

COTTAGE GROVE, Minn. (FOX 9) - Police in Cottage Grove are investigating an assault after officers found an injured woman inside a storage unit Wednesday morning. 

According to the Cottage Grove Police Department, at t 6:14 a.m., officers responded to a storage unit facility, Park Place Storage, at 7552 West Point Douglas Road on a report of an assault and a person covered in blood. 

When they arrived, they spoke to the 911 caller, who showed them pictures of her friend inside one of the storage units. The victim was bloody and there was a brass shell casing by her feet. 

Officers attempted to use the PA system to call out the victim and any potential suspects, but were unsuccessful. They eventually breached the garage door of the storage unit and found the victim inside.

They later learned the suspect, a man, had fled the scene prior to the officers' arrival. 
Detectives with the police department are executing a search warrant on the storage unit.

It was a scary scene for others at the storage spot. We spoke with two men who were stopping by just as police were rolling up.

"I was sitting there having my coffee like I do every morning then, all the sudden, a squad flew past me," said witness Anthony Strandlof.

It wasn't the typical start to the workday for Anthony Strandlof and Connor Cunningham, who usually get their landscaping equipment at the Park Place storage facility.

Cunningham says, "We did see the cops with their guns drawn and, as we were leaving, a K-9 unit pulled in."

"It's kind of scary," added Strandlof. "This is a nice place, nice storage."

Police say they found the woman inside alone and hurt, but not badly.

"I hope they catch whoever did it and figure everything out so people can get answers and sleep soundly at night," said Strandlof.

The incident remains under investigation.