From the U.S. Attorney’s press release,
Carjacker Charged with Federal Crimes for Carjacking Spree that Killed Two Women and Injured a Child.
David Zimmer wrote about the incident the day it happened, this past Thursday. The suspect is one Edward Tiki Arrington, age 45, a/k/a Troy Mike Payton.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson had this to say on Friday,
Two young women should be alive today. Instead, their lives were cut short by a senseless crime committed by a career criminal. They deserved better. We all deserve better. I am weary of this endless violence. Minnesota deserves peace. We will keep fighting to restore it.
The federal charges include two counts: one for carjacking and another for discharging a firearm during the carjacking. The U.S. Attorney explains the significance of the federal charges,
Arrington faces a mandatory minimum of 25 years in prison and up to a maximum of life in prison if convicted of these offenses. Carjacking resulting in death is a death penalty-eligible crime.
Arrington will also face state charges from the incident, which would not carry the level of penalties possible with the federal charges.
KSTP-5 TV documents Arrington’s criminal past.
Arrington’s criminal history includes multiple assaults with firearms, illegal gun possession, and two convictions for fleeing police in 2000 and 2006.
Digging into his federal criminal history, Arrington was also convicted on charges arising from a 2007 crack cocaine distribution case, where Arrington was one of 22 defendants.
Arrington was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to a single charge.
Both the U.S. Attorney’s and KSTP’s (among other outlets) accounts contain rich detail on the bizarre series of events last Thursday. The incident begins at 8 a.m. on Lake Street in south Minneapolis. Local cops caught up with Arrington and the carjacked vehicle in north Minneapolis. That’s where the horror car crash occurred that killed two women and seriously injured one woman’s small child.
As for her part, soft-on-crime Hennepin County prosecutor Mary Moriarty posted on Twitter (X) on Friday,
We issued charges against Mr. Payton [Arrington] immediately to protect our community and anticipate additional charges as the investigation continues.
Arrington is currently being held in the Hennepin County jail under the name Troy Mike Hayton. He is being held on four state felony charges including criminal vehicular homicide.
Prosecutors are asking for $4 million in bail and Arrington/Payton .
By my count, Arrington/Payton accumulated eight (8) felony convictions, from seven separate cases, all between the years of 1998 and 2009.
In that 2007 federal drugs case, prosecutors sought to have him sentenced as a career criminal, which would have resulted in a prison sentence of at least 15 years (188 months).
The presiding judge, Clinton-appointee John Tunheim, declined, and sentenced Arrington to just 40 months.
Arrington/Payton has his first state court appearance scheduled for Monday afternoon (Sept. 8). He is listed with a St. Paul address.
