Reynolds appeared in Ramsey County District Court to face charges of second- and third-degree assault, according to online records.
From left: Dyamond Richardson, Diamond Reynolds and Chnika Blair (Courtesy of Ramsey County sheriff)
Prosecutors on Friday charged Diamond Reynolds with felony assault in an alleged hammer attack on a woman in St. Paul.
Reynolds, 27, received worldwide attention in July when she live-streamed on Facebook the immediate aftermath of her boyfriend Philando Castile’s fatal shooting by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. Officer Jeronimo Yanez has been charged with manslaughter in connection to the shooting.
On Tuesday, police say a 24-year-old woman in St. Paul suffered serious injuries in an assault. Officers arrested Reynolds and two other women in the case Thursday, and they were all charged Friday.
One of the woman told police “there was a continuing conflict between her and” a friend of Tuesday’s assault victim. In February, Reynolds “specifically” threatened “to come after the victim” in a Facebook post, according to the criminal complaint.
Reynolds, of West St. Paul, was charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and third-degree assault – inflicting substantial bodily harm.
Police were notified about the case around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officers responded to a 911 call about an assault in progress on Jessamine Lane near Hazelwood Street, and paramedics took the victim to Regions Hospital.
At the hospital, officers saw the victim had blood on her face that appeared to be coming from her forehead, along with blood on her shirt. She reported she’d been driving earlier on Magnolia Avenue when she noticed a sport-utility vehicle make a U-turn and follow her as she approached Barclay Street. As she parked on Jessamine Lane and got out of her vehicle, she heard someone holler at her, the complaint said.
The woman looked up and saw Reynolds and another woman, later identified as 28-year-old Chnika Blair, coming at her. Reynolds ran up and punched her in the head with a closed fist, while Blair grabbed her hair, according to the complaint.
At one point, Reynolds hit her in the head with a hammer, knocking her to the ground and continued to strike her in the head with the hammer when she was on the ground, the complaint continued. The woman said she “blacked out for a moment” and then saw Reynolds striking her vehicle’s windshield, which broke.
Another vehicle pulled up and a woman she knew as Dyamond Richardson, 25, got out, chased her down and sprayed bear repellent at her, according to the complaint. The suspects then left in two vehicles with seven or eight people between them.
After police arrested Richardson, she told them about the past conflict between her and the victim’s friend, identified in the complaint as Y.G. On Feb. 9, the victim and Y.G. came to Richardson’s work and started a fight with her, Richardson reported.
Reynolds claimed Y.G. had damaged her vehicle and wanted to fight, according to Richardson. Blair and Reynolds “agreed to help Richardson fight and find Y.G.,” so they rode in two different vehicles to the victim’s house in search of Y.G., the complaint continued.
Richardson said that when she got there, “the victim was getting up off the ground and was all ‘jacked up,’ as she was bleeding from the face and her hair was matted,” and she tried to use bear spray on her, the complaint said.
Richardson and Blair, who are both St. Paul residents, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting third-degree assault – inflicting substantial bodily harm.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office asked Washington County to handle the case to avoid a conflict of interest. Reynolds is listed as a victim and witness in Ramsey County’s case against officer Yanez.
Reynolds’ attorney could not be reached for comment Friday. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance in the case Monday.
TRAUMATIC MEMORIES
Washington Post: Jahi Chikwendiu
Diamond Reynolds shows off the tattoos she had done at the Minnesota State Fair — one honoring her daughter, left, the other honoring her slain boyfriend, Philando Castile. Reynolds is trying to piece her life back together following the fatal shooting of Castile, by a police officer.
Reynolds said in November, after Yanez was charged with manslaughter, that her memories of what happened to Castile were traumatic. Reynolds was in the front passenger seat and her then-4-year-old daughter was in the backseat when Yanez fired into the car.
The officer is also charged with two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. Prosecutors say the officer endangered the lives of Reynolds and her daughter. Yanez pleaded not guilty on Monday.
“Every day I can’t believe that happened. … It’s like a nightmare I am trying to wake up from,” Reynolds said in November. She said then that faith kept her going, particularly as it became increasingly hard to find work.
Reynolds was working at a hotel in downtown St. Paul when Castile, her boyfriend of three years, was killed. She subsequently lost her job and hadn’t been able to find stable employment. She said in November that she suspected it was because people recognized her.
From left: Dyamond Richardson, Diamond Reynolds and Chnika Blair (Courtesy of Ramsey County sheriff)
Prosecutors on Friday charged Diamond Reynolds with felony assault in an alleged hammer attack on a woman in St. Paul.
Reynolds, 27, received worldwide attention in July when she live-streamed on Facebook the immediate aftermath of her boyfriend Philando Castile’s fatal shooting by a St. Anthony police officer during a traffic stop in Falcon Heights. Officer Jeronimo Yanez has been charged with manslaughter in connection to the shooting.
On Tuesday, police say a 24-year-old woman in St. Paul suffered serious injuries in an assault. Officers arrested Reynolds and two other women in the case Thursday, and they were all charged Friday.
One of the woman told police “there was a continuing conflict between her and” a friend of Tuesday’s assault victim. In February, Reynolds “specifically” threatened “to come after the victim” in a Facebook post, according to the criminal complaint.
Reynolds, of West St. Paul, was charged with second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and third-degree assault – inflicting substantial bodily harm.
Police were notified about the case around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Officers responded to a 911 call about an assault in progress on Jessamine Lane near Hazelwood Street, and paramedics took the victim to Regions Hospital.
At the hospital, officers saw the victim had blood on her face that appeared to be coming from her forehead, along with blood on her shirt. She reported she’d been driving earlier on Magnolia Avenue when she noticed a sport-utility vehicle make a U-turn and follow her as she approached Barclay Street. As she parked on Jessamine Lane and got out of her vehicle, she heard someone holler at her, the complaint said.
The woman looked up and saw Reynolds and another woman, later identified as 28-year-old Chnika Blair, coming at her. Reynolds ran up and punched her in the head with a closed fist, while Blair grabbed her hair, according to the complaint.
At one point, Reynolds hit her in the head with a hammer, knocking her to the ground and continued to strike her in the head with the hammer when she was on the ground, the complaint continued. The woman said she “blacked out for a moment” and then saw Reynolds striking her vehicle’s windshield, which broke.
Another vehicle pulled up and a woman she knew as Dyamond Richardson, 25, got out, chased her down and sprayed bear repellent at her, according to the complaint. The suspects then left in two vehicles with seven or eight people between them.
After police arrested Richardson, she told them about the past conflict between her and the victim’s friend, identified in the complaint as Y.G. On Feb. 9, the victim and Y.G. came to Richardson’s work and started a fight with her, Richardson reported.
Reynolds claimed Y.G. had damaged her vehicle and wanted to fight, according to Richardson. Blair and Reynolds “agreed to help Richardson fight and find Y.G.,” so they rode in two different vehicles to the victim’s house in search of Y.G., the complaint continued.
Richardson said that when she got there, “the victim was getting up off the ground and was all ‘jacked up,’ as she was bleeding from the face and her hair was matted,” and she tried to use bear spray on her, the complaint said.
Richardson and Blair, who are both St. Paul residents, were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and aiding and abetting third-degree assault – inflicting substantial bodily harm.
The Ramsey County attorney’s office asked Washington County to handle the case to avoid a conflict of interest. Reynolds is listed as a victim and witness in Ramsey County’s case against officer Yanez.
Reynolds’ attorney could not be reached for comment Friday. She is scheduled to make her first court appearance in the case Monday.
TRAUMATIC MEMORIES
Washington Post: Jahi Chikwendiu
Diamond Reynolds shows off the tattoos she had done at the Minnesota State Fair — one honoring her daughter, left, the other honoring her slain boyfriend, Philando Castile. Reynolds is trying to piece her life back together following the fatal shooting of Castile, by a police officer.
Reynolds said in November, after Yanez was charged with manslaughter, that her memories of what happened to Castile were traumatic. Reynolds was in the front passenger seat and her then-4-year-old daughter was in the backseat when Yanez fired into the car.
The officer is also charged with two felony counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. Prosecutors say the officer endangered the lives of Reynolds and her daughter. Yanez pleaded not guilty on Monday.
“Every day I can’t believe that happened. … It’s like a nightmare I am trying to wake up from,” Reynolds said in November. She said then that faith kept her going, particularly as it became increasingly hard to find work.
Reynolds was working at a hotel in downtown St. Paul when Castile, her boyfriend of three years, was killed. She subsequently lost her job and hadn’t been able to find stable employment. She said in November that she suspected it was because people recognized her.
I'm keeping an open mind. Sista been through a lot. Let's wait for all the #facts.
