Minneapolis man shot 15-20 rounds at law enforcement during hourslong standoff, charges say

A 31-year-old Minneapolis man is facing nearly two dozen charges following an eight-hour standoff with police along the city's Eat Street corridor last week.

Tyler Joseph O'Brien was charged on Tuesday with 18 counts of first-degree assault and three counts of illegal possession of a firearm/ammunition.

Charges say deputies from the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office were attempting to serve an active arrest warrant for O'Brien at an apartment unit on West 28th Street and Nicollet Avenue around 11:20 a.m. on June 9.

Deputies allegedly made multiple announcements that they had a warrant for O'Brien's arrest and ordered him to come to the door, but he did not. 

Due to safety concerns, deputies then placed a camera under the door to see inside the apartments. Through the camera, charges say deputies were able to see O'Brien standing with his feet spread apart and both arms extended in front of him, holding what appeared to be a handgun, which he was aiming at the door.

According to the complaint, deputies observed multiple cameras outside the unit and believed them to have been installed by O'Brien, so deputies began to disable them. As one deputy went to disable a camera near the door to O'Brien's unit, deputies heard a loud bang and saw debris go flying as O'Brien allegedly attempted to shoot them through the door. As the deputies went to take cover, they heard more shots fired from the apartment.

Charges say during the hourslong standoff, O'Brien fired 15 to 20 rounds in the direction of law enforcement officers and civilians. Deputies used a drone to find O'Brien inside his apartment, but he shot it down.

Crisis negotiators were able to contact O'Brien via phone, eventually leading to his surrender.

In addition to a woman believed by authorities to be O'Brien's girlfriend, a 3-year-old was also in the apartment at the time of the initial shooting, according to court documents. Two girls had been in a neighboring apartment unit.

During a search of O'Brien's apartment, charges say officers found three different pistols. Because of a 2015 first-degree assault conviction, O'Brien is prohibited from possessing a firearm.