Man charged after attacking, beating mall security officers
St Cloud MN December 24 2018
A man is accused of attacking two mall security officers in the parking lot and stealing one’s badge.
Travis James Vonblumen was arrested on Tuesday after allegedly assaulting the officers outside of Forever 21 in Crossroads Center as the mall was closing.
According to the criminal complaint, the 27-year-old from St. Cloud had caused problems at the mall earlier that day.
The same security officer that had dealt with him says he was locking up the store when he saw Vonblumen coming towards him in an aggressive manner, knocking over signs and knocked his hat off his head.
The security guard says he was hit with an uppercut and then Vonblumen threw him to the ground and punched him five to six time in the face.
Investigators say he stole the security officers’s security badge.
According to the complaint, a second guard responding to the scene was punched in the face by Vonblumen while on the phone with 911.
A witness provided police video of the second security officer getting hit.
At that point, police say Vonblumen fled the mall and was pursued by the first security officer to Passages drug rehabilitation center.
A police officer entered the center and found Vonblumen sitting at a table, out of breath and arrested him.
Police say he had the security guard’s badge and while being transported to jail, threatened to sexually assault the officer’s significant others.
Investigators say Vonblumen also stated the “he slapped those security guards good and took his badge.”
One security officer suffered a black eye and was bleeding from his head. The other guard suffered a cut under his eye.
Police say the day before the assaults, police tried to pull Vonblumen over for speeding but he fled at a high rate of speed to a home on the 200 block of Park Avenue in St. Cloud.
According to the complaint, he told officers he fled “so I didn’t get shot” and stated “not my first high speed chase, I don’t listen to you, you ain’t my boss.”
Vonblumen has been charged with 1st degree aggravated robbery, 5th degree assault and fleeing a peace officer.
Bond was set at $300,000. His next court date hasn’t been set.
