Chicken nuggets, punches thrown in Dinkytown fight

A University of Minnesota student was assailed with a Chicken McNugget and punches at the McDonald’s in Dinkytown.

Early Thursday morning, a man threw a McNugget at the male student, who declined to comment on the incident, and started talking “trash,” according to the Minneapolis police report.

The student addressed the man to ask why he threw the food, when a second man walked up to and dumped a drink on him. The first man then punched the student in the face about four times, knocking his glasses off his face, the report said.

The first suspect is described as a white male in his early 20s, 5 feet 11 inches to 6 feet tall, lightly built and wearing light-colored clothing. The second suspect was a black male in his early 20s, around 6 feet tall with a medium build and wearing dark-colored clothing. The suspects took off from the scene in a silver car.

Employees recognized the suspects as possible regulars at the restaurant.

Workers at McDonald’s typically call the police about once a month in response to fights and other drunken incidents on the property, said Jaime Lopez, the restaurant’s manager.

Washington Avenue bridge standoff

A small standoff on the Washington Avenue bridge early Saturday morning ended with a taser.

A man was walking on the bridge around midnight Saturday when another drunken man approached him and said he was looking for a bathroom.

According to University police Deputy Chief Chuck Miner, the man rambled and began verbally harassing the victim, who Miner identified as a University student.

The student tried to leave, Miner said, but the suspect threatened to shoot him if he walked away.

The student ran away and called the University police, who found the suspect walking toward the East Bank campus on the bridge.

 Four police officers pointed their guns at the suspect after he refused to remove his left hand from his pocket. After the suspect continued to refuse to cooperate, two officers shot him with a taser.

Miner said in the past, the situation could have had a “much worse outcome” because police may have needed to use their guns on him if it weren’t for the tasers.

“This is a perfect use of a taser,” Miner said. “Tasers get a bad rep from time to time on a national scale.”

Miner said the University police use tasers “fairly infrequently” — typically only a few times a year.

Police booked the suspect at Hennepin County jail and cited him for terroristic threats.