Charges: Gun Involved in Assault Near Rochester Restaurant

Rochester, MN (KROC-AM News)- A court filing has unearthed new information about a assault reported outside of a Rochester restaurant last weekend. 

Read More: Assault at Rochester Restaurant Sends Victim to Hospital 

Rochester Police responded to Los Jarritos Café located at 34 17th Ave. Northwest. Around 1:00 Sunday morning. 

The owner showed responding officers surveillance footage of the alleged attack captured by a camera aimed at a parking lot in the vicinity of the restaurant, the criminal complaint says. 

Security Camera Footage Exposes New Details in Rochester Restaurant Assault

The footage shows the victim walking towards a vehicle in the parking lot. The alleged assailant, identified as 26-year-old Xavier Abreu-Vasques of Rochester, was with two other men and one of the men is seen running in front of the victim. 

The victim then is seen pulling out a gun and pointing it at the man who ran in front of him. The man put the gun away and kept walking. Abreu-Vasques is then seen punching the victim in the face, the charges say. 

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The blow knocked the man to the ground and Abreu-Vasques is seen punching the man again, according to the court document. Police found and arrested Abreu-Vasques at the scene. 

In an interview with police Abreu-Vasques, who was described in the complaint to have slurred speech, slow reflexes and smelled of alcohol, admitted to punching and knocking down the victim. 

He said the man withdrew a gun from his pocket, racked the slide then returned the gun to his pocket, the complaint says. 

Responding officers found the victim drifting in and out of consciousness with a bloody face, the charges say. He was taken to St. Mary’s Hospital with what police described as serious but non-life-threatening injuries. 

The victim was intubated and unable to speak with officers at the hospital. He suffered broken nasal bones and a concussion, according to the charges. 

The complaint makes no further mention of the gun. A police spokesperson said the investigation into the alleged assault remains ongoing. 

Abreu-Vasques has been charged with a count of felony third-degree assault and misdemeanor count of disorderly conduct. He was released without bail and is due back in court next month.

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