A 24-year-old motorist who crashed into a St. Paul restaurant last week has been charged with going on a spree that included an attempted carjacking and sexual assault.
Maximillian M. Fritsch, of Lake Elmo was charged Friday in Ramsey County District Court with first-degree aggravated robbery, assault with a dangerous weapon and fifth-degree criminal sexual conduct in connection with the string of crimes midday Thursday that started with him ramming an SUV into the front of Los Ocampo on University Avenue near Dale Street.
Fritsch was jailed in lieu of $3,500 cash bond and has since been released. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
According to the criminal complaint:
Fritsch ran from the wheels-up vehicle to a light-rail platform nearby and groped a 52-year-old woman waiting for a train before a bystander held him down until police arrived.
Fritsch, who had a knife sheath on his belt and said he wanted to go home and listen to music, refused to tell officers his identity and tried in vain to run away. He was taken to a hospital after officers noticed he showed signs of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
While at the hospital, Fritsch was uncooperative with medical personnel as they tried to take samples of his blood and urine for testing. A blood sample was taken once he was sedated.
Court records in Minnesota show that Fritsch has two drunken-driving convictions in the past five years.
Police also interviewed a motorist who told them that he was stopped in front of the restaurant, where Fritsch knocked on the driver's side window, tried to pull him out of the vehicle and punched him several times in the face.
Fritsch came at him with a knife. The driver sped off, and the open car door knocked Fritsch to the ground. Police recovered a 10-inch knife from the man's vehicle.
The crash into Los Ocampos caused a gas leak that was repaired within an hour of the crash. St. Paul firefighters stood by as Xcel Energy workers dug a hole and pinched off the gas line.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482
