Stay Curious. Stay Connected.
MailNewsletters♡Donate Now
Sign up
*Password must be at least 8 characters and contain one uppercase letter, one lowercase letter, one number and one symbol.
Already have an account?
By submitting, you consent that you are at least 18 years of age and to receive information about MPR's or APMG entities' programs and offerings. The personally identifying information you provide will not be sold, shared, or used for purposes other than to communicate with you about MPR, APMG entities, and its sponsors. You may opt-out at any time clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of any email communication. View our Privacy Policy.
Sign in to your profile
Forgot Password?
New to MPR News?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Reset Password

Enter the username on file and we'll send you a code to reset your password.

Still require assistance or not sure what your User Name is?
Welcome back
to news
for you
Email Verification

A verification code has been emailed to

Still awaiting the code?
The death of Philando Castile and the trial of Jeronimo Yanez
Doug Glass, The Associated Press
Minneapolis

Records: Officer may have interacted with Castile in 2011

Police at the shooting scene.
Police secure evidence at the shooting scene in Falcon Heights, where Philando Castile was shot by a St. Anthony police officer earlier this month.
Christopher Juhn | File for MPR News

Go Deeper.

Create an account or log in to save stories.

Log inCreate a free Account

Like this?

Thanks for liking this story! We have added it to a list of your favorite stories.

Show me!

A Minnesota police officer and the black motorist he shot to death may have interacted in a previous traffic stop more than four years earlier, newly released records show.

Philando Castile, 32, died July 6 after he was pulled over by St. Anthony police officer Jeronimo Yanez in suburban St. Paul. Yanez's attorney has said the officer was reacting to seeing a gun. Castile's girlfriend, who streamed the aftermath of the shooting live on Facebook, said Castile was shot while reaching for his ID after telling the officer he had a gun permit and was armed.

Records released Thursday by the city of St. Anthony in response to a request from The Associated Press also include a report on a July 2 armed robbery at a Super USA convenience store that lists Yanez as one of two officers assigned to investigate. The robbery occurred a few blocks away from where the traffic stop took place four days later.

Yanez's attorney, Thomas Kelly, has said that when Yanez stopped Castile he was approaching someone he thought resembled a suspect in an armed robbery.

Castile's family has questioned that, saying his long history of traffic stops — nearly 50 times in recent years — suggested he was racially profiled.

Scene of the shooting
Investigators mark the vehicle that Philando Castile was in when he was shot and killed.
Christopher Juhn | File for MPR News

The traffic stop included in Thursday's release was made in November 2011, with Castile pulled over for a defective brake light. He was arrested on a Hennepin County warrant for driving with a revoked license.

Yanez wasn't the arresting officer, but the arrest report lists an "Officer Yanez" as one of two officers who drove Castile several miles to the county jail. It was just a few weeks after Jeronimo Yanez joined the St. Anthony Police Department.

The department declined to discuss the report, and Yanez's attorney didn't immediately respond to an email from AP.

The city also partially responded to a request for personnel data on Yanez and Officer Joseph Kauser, who also responded to the scene of Castile's shooting. The city said it had no record of complaints against either officer. Yanez joined the department in November 2011, and Kauser in January 2013.

The St. Anthony Police Department currently has 23 police officers and 14 reserve officers.