By Liz Collin
One of the highest grossing law firms in the world is set to take over the prosecution of a Minnesota state trooper as Hennepin County’s top attorney scrambles to put together a case against a member of Minnesota’s law enforcement.
The case against Minnesota State Trooper Ryan Londregan has faced numerous challenges, including four sworn declarations from members of the Minnesota State Patrol who say Londregan followed his training last July when he shot Ricky Cobb II during a traffic stop. Additionally, the prosecution’s own use-of-force expert said Londregan committed no crime, the state trooper’s attorneys said in a court filing.
Meanwhile, the lead prosecutor has also asked off the case, and now there are questions about the involvement of an outside law firm.
Imran Ali, an attorney with Eckberg Lammers and general counsel for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, discussed these developments and their impact on law enforcement on the latest episode of Liz Collin Reports.
“I’ve never seen anything like it … We weren’t expecting those charges to be issued after reviewing the body-worn camera and to see those charges being issued in January is one thing, but to see what we’ve witnessed in the last three months is something that, you know, I’ve never seen in my entire career,” said Ali, who spent a decade as an assistant Washington County attorney.
“The only thing that’s really holding this probable cause together is the assertion that there was a violation of training policies based on what appears to be an interview that was conducted with the grand jury or outside of the grand jury with law enforcement … And once that conclusion, and even though it wasn’t in writing, but once that conclusion occurred, then we saw a pivot from the county attorney who now says, you know what, now we don’t need an expert. Again, something I’ve never seen before,” he added.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty was granted approval last week for four former federal prosecutors from Steptoe LLP to serve as the prosecution team. This move prompted concerns from legislators on both sides of the aisle, who discussed the issue on the Minnesota House floor Friday night.
Rep. Harry Niska slams the “outrageous behavior” of Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty after it was revealed today that the taxpayers of her county will be paying $850/hour to lawyers at @SteptoeLLP to prosecute Trooper Ryan Londregan. pic.twitter.com/YDawPFG6n3
— Alpha News (@AlphaNews) May 4, 2024
“I said it three years ago, but I don’t think an officer can get a fair trial (in Hennepin County). You cannot tip the scales of justice regardless of what happens, regardless of what you think, regardless of what your ideology is, regardless of your background. Being a prosecutor is a tremendous role, and as a minister of justice, sometimes you have to make those difficult decisions,” Ali said.
MPPOA Attorney Stephen Foertsch made this video with an update our Trooper Ryan Londregan, the new out-of-state prosecution, & the rally on Monday. Trooper Ryan is innocent, he saved his partners life, and is a hero. Please view it below and share. https://t.co/gjXTA6i6Xx
— Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association (@MNPoliceAssn) May 2, 2024
He said he was humbled to see hundreds of people show up to support Trooper Londregan at the Hennepin County courthouse ahead of a court appearance last week.
“But one of the things that really wasn’t reported too much that I saw a lot of on the other side is it’s one thing to support and it’s another thing to agitate. It’s another thing to intimidate. It’s another thing to use fear in that process,” Ali said, referencing counter protesters who also showed up.
“And what I observed, whether people knocking into other people’s shoulders, whether people trying to create confrontations … getting into other people’s personal space, I was with a lady and I just happened to record just myself a video, a kind of panoramic of what was going on,” he continued. “I hear her and she’s calling all of the people in the maroon shirts white supremacists … I’ve been called that before, and I certainly am not white and not a white supremacist. So, it just kind of shows you really where we’ve gotten now, these ridiculous conclusions that are being made and also this use of fear and intimidation. It has no place in our justice system.”
A large crowd of supporters gathered in the Hennepin County Government Center last Monday morning ahead of Trooper Ryan Londregan’s latest court appearance. (Alpha News)
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for May 15. The MPPOA has also called on Gov. Tim Walz to get involved.
“I would tell the governor, two weeks ago would have been better, but we need action today. I mean, today, if that action comes in, we need the governor to intervene. We need to ensure that justice indeed happens. For both sides, I think we need an intervention, and we can’t get that, we can’t get a fair process, with this county attorney. I think we know that,” Ali said.
“I would ask that all Hennepin County past, present and future officer-involved shooting cases or use-of-force cases out of Hennepin County be removed from that office, period. I think her record in this case and also her past statements have created this bias that she has towards law enforcement,” Ali commented.
“When you have the power of a prosecutor, you have a very, very big sword. And to see that being unleashed in this sort of way against this specific group, it should never be done and should make everyone pretty scared about what’s occurring.”
This article originally appeared at Alpha News and was reprinted with permission.
