Two suspects were arrested Sunday in connection with the alleged sex trafficking of a girl at a Roseville hotel, authorities say.
Police learned early in the morning that a girl was being trafficked out of a room at the Key Inn, 2550 Cleveland Av. N., and when they arrived, a 27-year-old suspect ran and barricaded himself in the room, a police news release said.
Because the man was said to be armed and dangerous, police called in a SWAT team and negotiators, who were able to reach the suspect by phone and persuade him to leave the room. He was arrested without incident, police said.
During the investigation, police said detectives also learned about a second hotel room that allegedly was connected to the trafficking.
A second suspect was arrested later in the morning, according to police.
Authorities plan to search the two rooms.
The incident comes about a week after Ramsey County Attorney John Choi held a news conference updating a statewide effort to train law enforcement officials to better investigate sex trafficking crimes. The training emphasizes a victim-centered approach that refrains from treating victims as criminals.
Since 2007, the number of charges statewide in sex trafficking cases has risen from 29 in 2007 to 75 in 2015, according to data shared at the June 23 event.
Roseville police expect to release more details about Sunday's incident on Tuesday.
"We obviously take these cases very seriously and are working hard to ensure we do a complete and thorough investigation," police Lt. Erika Scheider said.
The prosecution of felony cases based in Roseville typically is handled by Choi's office.
Anthony Lonetree
