St. Paul man charged with threatening Mayor Melvin Carter and the Maplewood Mall

Kristi Belcamino, Pioneer Press
Updated ·2 min read

A St. Paul man was charged Wednesday with making violent threats against St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter and the Maplewood Mall.

Authorities say Andrew Thomas Grzywinski, 35, sent his ex-girlfriend a text on Tuesday that showed an AR-15 style weapon on a window ledge and the words: “Maplewood mall is my idea and Mayor of St. Paul is end goal,” according to the criminal complaint.

The text also contained an emoji showing a face with a closed zipper for a mouth indicating that the ex-girlfriend should keep the information secret. Because Grzywinski was staying at a Sheraton hotel in Woodbury, the woman called police there, according to the complaint filed Wednesday.

The complaint gave the following details:

Upon investigation, authorities learned the man had been hospitalized on a mental health hold from Dec. 15 through Dec. 22 in Pensacola, Fl. The doctor who treated him told authorities that Grzywinski’s threats should be taken seriously.

Along with a security detail sent to the mayor’s St. Paul home, police also sent a six-squad security detail to the mall, which is located at 3001 White Bear Lake in Maplewood. Because of the threat, the mall closed early at 6:15 p.m. instead of 8 p.m.

Grzywinski was subsequently arrested at the Sheraton Hotel in Woodbury. During a search of the room, police recovered a Mossberg International 715P .22-caliber long rifle, a case, and a magazine that contained ammunition, according to the complaint.

The weapon matched the one in the text picture.

During questioning at police headquarters Grzywinski ripped a camera off the wall in the interview room. When a detective asked what he was doing, Grzywinski said, “I want a lawyer!”

He was then taken to jail. When he asked what charge he was being booked on, he was told it was for making threats of violence against the mayor. His response was, “I never said I was gonna kill the mayor — I said I want to run for mayor.”

Grzywinski is scheduled to make his first court appearance Thursday. An attorney wasn’t listed for him in the court record as of Wednesday afternoon.

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