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MINNETONKA, Minn. — Police said a 26-year-old man has been booked into the Hennepin County jail on probable cause for threats of violence, after prompting a large police response at the UnitedHealthcare campus in Minnetonka on Monday morning.
The man was taken into custody without incident a short time after police were called. Police confirmed to KARE 11 that a gun was found at the scene. No injuries were reported.
A spokesperson for the city of Minnetonka initially said a report of an “intruder” on the UHC campus prompted the response. UnitedHealthcare employees told KARE 11 they received text alerts from the company to stay away from windows and the exterior of the building.
A city spokesperson told the Associated Press the man was spotted around 11 a.m. in a parking lot outside of the UnitedHealthcare corporate campus. The man, who’d had previous contacts with Minnetonka police, showed up at a security checkpoint where he was not supposed to be, the spokesperson said.
Minnetonka Police said he was arrested after he “issued threats of violence directed at the United Healthcare facility if specific demands were not met.” The 26-year-old contacted the FBI Minneapolis Field Office when he arrived at the UnitedHealthcare campus Monday. Police say a trained FBI crisis negotiator talked to the man over the phone, and the incident “concluded safely” within 45 minutes.
Court records show the suspect in Monday’s incident has a previous conviction for threats of violence on his criminal record. KARE 11 is not naming the man as charges have not been filed.
Police told KARE 11 that they do not believe the suspect was specifically targeting UnitedHealthcare, but had unrelated grievances from other recent criminal cases. KARE 11 Investigates reached the suspect’s mother via text message on Monday, who said her son has no problems with UnitedHealthcare.
UnitedHealthcare issued a response late Monday:
“The safety and security of our colleagues is our top priority. We are grateful that law enforcement acted quickly to resolve the situation near our Minnesota offices today. Based on what we know of the situation, the individual made no demands against UnitedHealthcare. There is no reason to believe there were specific grievances against the company,” the statement said.
Monday’s incident follows the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City in December, which led to increased security concerns at the UHC campus. The suspect in the Thompson case, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, is facing state and federal charges.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.