<div> A stolen carabiner, a car chase and a suspect spitting on a police officer resulted in the arrests of two men during a recent incident at Home Depot in Eden Prairie. Ahmed Mohamed Halane, 21, of Rosemount, is charged in Hennepin County District Court with one count of fourth-degree assault for spitting on a police officer, and Andrew Christopher Groves, 19, of Chaska, is charged with one count of fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle. According to the charging documents: On Sept. 5, Eden Prairie police were dispatched to Home Depot on a report of a suspicious person. Arriving police were told that Halane, who matched the description of a suspect in a prior theft, was dropped off at the store by a green Jeep Liberty, later determined to be driven by Groves, who also matched the description of a suspect in a previous theft. Officers ran the license plate on the Jeep and found it matched a different vehicle. When officers attempted a traffic stop as it left the Home Depot parking lot, the Jeep fled, driving over a curb, around a stopped vehicle, and through a red light, proceeding the wrong way. Officers discontinued the pursuit when the Jeep nearly collided with a motorcycle. Moments later, the Jeep crashed into a car, and officers restarted their pursuit, using a PIT maneuver — a tactic designed to stop a fleeing vehicle — to bring the Jeep to a halt. Meanwhile, Halane observed officers and fled on foot. Despite commands to stop, he continued to run. While fleeing, Halane jumped on top of a squad car and then off. Officers eventually detained him and located a red carabiner in his front right pocket, which a Home Depot loss prevention officer said he had taken without paying. While being transported to jail, Halane demanded to be let out of the car to go to the bathroom. When an officer told him he had to wait, Halane yelled obscenities at the officer and then spit on the officer’s face. As of Sept. 25, Halane remained in custody on $20,000 bail. Groves was released from custody on Sept. 9 on $20,000 bail. If convicted, Halane faces a maximum prison term of three years and/or up to a $6,000 fine, while Groves faces a maximum term of three years and/or up to a $5,000 fine. </div>

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Man charged with assault for spitting on police officer

Two men face charges after a car chase and assault on police during an incident at Home Depot in Eden Prairie.