Woman charged with randomly shooting at vehicle in St. Paul with 4 occupants, including kids

Mara H. Gottfried, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·3 min read

Dec. 16—After police released surveillance photos of a woman suspected of shooting at strangers' vehicles, and injuring a driver in one case, tips from the public led to charges against a 44-year-old.

The Ramsey County attorney's office charged Latoya Nicole Weston, of West St. Paul, on Wednesday with four counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon for an October incident in which she's accused of shooting at a vehicle driven by a 21-year-old in St. Paul. The woman's 14-year-old sister and children, ages 1 and 3, were in the vehicle. They weren't injured.

The driver of the same white BMW shot into a woman's vehicle in Maplewood in July. It narrowly missed a 4-year-old child inside, went through the seat's headrest and into the driver's head. Maplewood police said at the time that the driver was able to drive herself to the nearby St. John's Hospital.

Last week, St. Paul police released surveillance photos of the vehicle and the suspect, asking people to come forward with tips.

"We appreciate everyone who took the time to take a look at the photos, share our post and call with tips, two of which turned out to be spot-on," police said in a Thursday statement. "Together, we're making our city safer for everyone."

Weston, the registered owner of a white BMW, was arrested on Tuesday. She declined to make a statement to police.

Weston made her first court appearance Thursday morning.

"Ms. Weston fully denies the accusations made against her," said her attorney, Carole Finneran. "She looks forward to having her day in court to clear her name."

The case that led to the charges happened around noon on Oct. 19, after the 21-year-old and her sister left a nail salon in the area of University Avenue and Dale Street in St. Paul. She noticed a BMW traveling very slowly in front of her, and both drivers turned into Marion Street near Fuller Avenue. As the 21-year-old drove past the BMW, she said the female driver yelled and she heard gunshots. Police found two spent casings from a .38-caliber handgun on Marion Street.

Police searched Weston's residence with a warrant on Tuesday and found a box for a .38-caliber handgun in a bedroom closet, according to the criminal complaint.

Surveillance video showed the BMW sitting near the nail salon shortly before 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 19 and a woman walking to the salon. She returned to her vehicle around noon and sat alone in it for several minutes while the 21-year-old and her family walked to their nearby vehicle, and "they appear to have no interaction with her," the complaint said.

Maplewood police are completing their investigation into the July shooting and then plan to present a case for charging consideration to the county attorney's office, said Maplewood