Crime, Law and Justice

Man who got plea deal in fatal carjacking now charged with fleeing police in stolen vehicle

A young man who received a controversial plea deal for his role in a fatal carjacking as a teen is now charged with fleeing police in a stolen vehicle, a felony.

After rejecting an earlier plea deal, Judge Michael Burns in December sentenced Husayn Braveheart to time served after he pleaded guilty to attempted assault in the 2019 shooting death of Steven Markey, 39, in northeast Minneapolis. As part of the agreement, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty dropped a count of second-degree murder.

Braveheart’s co-defendant Jered Ohsman, who was 16 at the time of the carjacking and admitted firing the fatal shots, is serving 21 years.

Moriarty argued that because Braveheart was 15 when he was involved in the crime and “changed significantly,” he shouldn’t be incarcerated beyond the more than four years he spent in Minnesota youth facilities.

In a December statement, Moriarty said Braveheart “has made enormous strides” while receiving treatment and added that “we believe the treatment will prevent a future crime if it continues.”

In a criminal complaint filed Wednesday, Dakota County prosecutors allege that an Eagan police officer who received a stolen vehicle alert activated his emergency lights after pulling up behind the stopped vehicle on Sunday. Braveheart, the alleged driver, accelerated “to speeds more than 100 miles per hour at times,” “ran multiple stop signs” and maneuvered randomly from lane to lane on highways.

The complaint does not say how long the pursuit lasted, but it noted that officers used stop sticks to bring the vehicle to a halt.

Braveheart in December also pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated robbery, for which he received probation. Court records show that he has two probation violation warrants in those cases for “failure to remain law abiding.”

In a brief statement Thursday, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office said if the new allegations are true, “Mr. Braveheart will be held accountable.”

In its own statement, Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association general counsel Imran Ali, a former assistant Washington County attorney and critic of Moriarty, said Braveheart is putting more lives at risk because he received “no real punishment” under the plea deal and that “Moriarty’s office prioritizes repeat criminals over community safety.”