Man who stole Utah sheriff vehicle out on bail from prior shootout with Minnesota police
FILE – James Howard Klein, a Minnesota man, was sentenced up to 25 years in connection to a chase and shootout with Utah Highway Patrol troopers in Juab County. Klein was accused of stealing a sheriff’s office patrol car and leading police on a chase on Wednesday, May 19, 2021. (Photo courtesy law enforcement)
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SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — 2News obtained new video of a shootout in Minnesota from 2020 involving the same man who stole a Utah police vehicle in 2021 and shot at responding Utah Highway Patrol troopers.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota police were called to the local Walmart in March 2020 to investigate potential shoplifting and an unusually large amount of ammunition purchased.
MORE:Minnesota man sentenced to 25 years in 2021 shooting incident with UHP troopers
When an officer arrived, they located James Klein in the parking lot and attempted to stop him by using a taser. Klein ran from the officer and pulled out a gun. A shootout ensued between Klein and responding officers.
Klein posted bail and was out at the time when he was stopped in Utah for the 2021 traffic violation which led to him stealing the Juab County patrol vehicle. Klein was in the front seat, left alone and without restraint at the time he stole the patrol car.
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“Without being there it’s hard to say, yeah should have done this or should have done this,” said Brent Jex, President of the Utah Fraternal Order of Police. “For us, the bigger question is why was he out of jail in Minnesota, that’s the bigger question.”
2News reached out to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office to ask why Klein was out on bail after an intense shootout and attempted carjacking in the Walmart parking lot.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office declined to interview with 2News but said in an email, “The Minnesota Constitution guarantees all defendants a right to bail while a case is pending.”
Klein’s bail conditions in Minnesota included “remain law-abiding, follow all probation instructions and do not leave the state of Minnesota without written court approval.”
“Had they kept him in up there for shooting at cops in Minnesota, he wouldn’t have been in Utah to do any of that,” said Jex. “When we let people like that out, this is what happens and as long as that continues there will be more of this.”
ALSO:Suspect who shot at driver, police arrested in Juab County
James Klein was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison for his role in the Utah stolen vehicle, shooting and attempted carjacking.
According to Minnesota court documents, there’s another hearing in February 2024 scheduled for Klein regarding the 2020 shooting.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota shooting video was first obtained by Midwest Safety on YouTube and shared with 2News. 2News had previously submitted a public records request with law enforcement agencies in Minnesota, but it remains in process.
Motive unknown in ‘brazen, targeted attack’ that killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in NYC
New York Police Department still searching for the shooter; executives were meeting for investor conference, which was closed abruptly.
Flags fly at half-staff in front of UnitedHealthcare headquarters in Minnetonka on Wednesday. Brian Thompson, the company’s CEO, was shot and killed in midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning. (Jerry Holt /The Minnesota Star Tribune)
A hooded gunman who was lying in wait for UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shot and killed the executive outside a Manhattan hotel Wednesday in what police say appeared to be a “brazen, targeted attack.’’
Thompson, 50, was fatally wounded outside the Midtown Hilton and video evidence indicated the gunman waited about five minutes, as many others walked past, before approaching his victim from behind and firing several rounds, Jessica Tisch, New York City police commissioner, said at a news conference.
Investigators outside the New York Hilton Midtown, where Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare, was fatally shot in what police believe was a targeted attack on the morning of Dec. 4, 2024. Police officers were still searching for the gunman, who fled east on foot along Sixth Avenue. (KARSTEN MORAN/The New York Times)
The executive, who was walking to the annual investor conference for Minnetonka-based parent company UnitedHealth Group, was struck at least once in the back and at least once in the leg, Tisch said.
“Brian Thompson, the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, was shot and killed in what appears — in this early stage of our investigation — to be a brazen, targeted attack,” Tisch said. “This does not appear to be a random act of violence.”
The commissioner added: “I want to be clear, at this time, every indication is that this was a premeditated, pre-planned, targeted attack.”
The gunman remained at large as of Wednesday night. Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information on the attack. The shooting occurred about 6:45 a.m. Eastern time.
Thompson, who lived in Maple Grove, had arrived in New York on Monday and was walking alone to the investor conference without a security detail, Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny said during the news conference.
Video shows the shooter step out from behind a car and ignore other pedestrians before firing on Thompson from behind, Kenny said. The assailant then walked toward Thompson and continued to shoot, until the gun apparently malfunctioned.
After clearing the jam, the shooter began to fire again, Kenny said, and then fled on foot.
Responding to reporters, Kenny said police don’t know if the shooter could have been a professional, nor could investigators say if there was a silencer on the weapon. From watching the video, he said, “it does seem that he’s proficient in the use of firearms as he was able to clear the malfunctions pretty quickly.”
After his initial flight from the scene, the suspect was later seen riding an e-bike, including when he was spotted in Central Park.
“The motive for this murder currently is unknown,” Kenny said. “Based on the evidence we have so far, it does appear that the victim was specifically targeted. But at this point, we do not know why.”
Gun jams as shoplifting suspect tries to shoot Ohio police officer at point-blank range in wild bodycam video
By Michael Dorgan
Published December 21, 2025 7:09pm CST
Suspected shoplifter charged with attempted murder after shooting at police officer
A suspected shoplifter was charged with attempted murder after body cam footage shows him allegedly shooting at a police officer inside a Walmart in Canton, Ohio, on December 18. Credit: Canton Police Department via Storyful
Heart-pounding video shows the moment a shoplifting suspect allegedly tried to shoot an Ohio police officer at point-blank range inside a Walmart only to be stopped when his gun appeared to malfunction and a store security worker intervened.
The dramatic incident unfolded Thursday in Canton after the suspect and a woman were detained for allegedly stealing items from the store, according to reports.
The pair were taken to a security room, where a police officer is seen questioning and searching the male suspect, identified as Shane Newman, 21, by FOX 8.
Video from the officer’s body camera, which had been placed on a table, initially showed a calm scene, with a Walmart employee handing the officer a pen and paper as the two suspects sat on a bench.
A Walmart security employee lunges at an armed shoplifting suspect inside a store security room in Ohio after the suspect attempted to fire a gun at a police officer, video footage shows. (Canton Police Department)
Moments later, the situation exploded.
Newman suddenly turned, pulled out a gun and attempted to shoot the officer as the woman screamed, “No, no, no!” A clicking sound could be heard as Newman apparently pulled the trigger.
The Walmart worker immediately jumped on Newman in an effort to restrain him, but Newman raised the gun again and attempted to fire a second time and another click could be heard.
The worker then knocked the gun from Newman’s hands as the officer drew his weapon and shouted, “Get back! Get back!”
The officer then took control of matters and pinned Newman to the floor until additional police arrived. Both suspects were taken into custody.
In the bodycam footage, the officer told responding police Newman had “pulled the gun out, pointed it at my head and pulled the trigger,” but the weapon did not fire.
NORTH CAROLINA POLICE OFFICER KILLED IN LINE OF DUTY DURING EMERGENCY ROOM SHOOTING INCIDENT
A Walmart security worker and a police officer restrain a shoplifting suspect inside a store security room in Ohio after police say the suspect attempted to shoot the officer, body camera footage shows. (Canton Police Department)
The officer said he drew his own weapon and would have shot Newman but feared hitting the Walmart employee as the worker struggled to disarm the suspect. He also acknowledged missing the gun concealed in Newman’s shoulder bag during the initial search.
The officer said he had just been alerted seconds before the attack that Newman had an active warrant for his arrest and was classified as “armed and dangerous.”
Newman was charged with attempted murder and felonious assault on a police officer, court records show.
The woman, identified as Katerina Jeffrey, was charged with complicity to commit robbery and having weapons under disability for possession of ammunition, FOX 8 reported.
Bodycam images show Shane Newman inside a Walmart security room in Ohio shortly before police say he pulled a gun and attempted to shoot an officer. Newman is seen holding a small red container that investigators said contained illegal drugs. (Canton
Before the violence erupted, the police officer asked Newman if he had anything on him as part of the search. Newman said all he had was a cellphone, and then he voluntarily handed over a small container from his pocket that investigators said contained illegal drugs, according to FOX 8.
“Are we going to jail?” Jeffrey asked the police officer.
“Not unless something crazy happens,” the officer replied.
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