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Tim Nelson

Minneapolis man and teen charged in gang rape of woman

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A man and a teen in Minneapolis have been charged with felony kidnapping and sexual assault in connection with a gang rape.

The charges against 23-year-old Deonte Lawson and 17-year-old Darrius Freeman say they kidnapped a woman in her mid-20s in Uptown on October 15 and sexually assaulted her. Prosecutors say Freeman is being presumptively certified to stand trial as an adult due to the serious nature of the crime.

Another juvenile could be charged in the case.

The victim told police she stepped out of her apartment to get something from her car when three people grabbed her and forced her into the back seat of her car at gunpoint.

Police say the suspects used the woman's credit cards to buy food and other items. The charges say they took her to a wooded area and sexually assaulted her, then dragged her back to her car and drove away. She told authorities she feared they were going to kill her. She said she convinced them to stop for gas in Scandia, Minn., where she escaped and her assailants fled in her car.

Lawson, Freeman, and the other juvenile were found the next day when police were called to a reckless driving complaint and found them in the victim's car near Lake Harriet.