Jerel Valdez Martin, the man who bolted shirtless and barefoot from a Hennepin County courtroom on June 24, 2025, is back in custody after a traffic stop in north Minneapolis turned up a loaded handgun and suspected drugs in his vehicle. Martin, 36, is being held without bail as prosecutors consider stacking on more charges, closing out a months-long manhunt that started when he ran from a sentencing hearing at the Hennepin County Government Center last summer.
How police tracked him down
The Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force says a mix of surveillance footage and tips led officers to a black Chevrolet parked outside a liquor store on Penn Avenue N. in north Minneapolis. Officers later pulled the car over near 27th and Dupont avenues N. and reported finding a small bag of suspected cocaine, a loaded handgun, and a fake Minnesota identification card, according to the Star Tribune. The task force had been alerted on Oct. 29 that Martin was in Minneapolis and behind the wheel of that specific vehicle, the outlet reported.
Courtroom escape that made him a fugitive
Martin first grabbed local headlines in June when deputies say he broke free during a scuffle at the Hennepin County Government Center, sprinting down the courthouse steps without a shirt or shoes as stunned onlookers watched. KSTP reported that the chaos began with a tussle over a cellphone a supporter handed to Martin as prosecutors approached the bench during his sentencing. A warrant was issued after he fled. At the time, deputies said he had just been sentenced to 60 months following a bench trial for being a prohibited person in possession of ammunition.
Charges, records, and what's on file
Court filings tie the June courtroom incident to a 2024 case in which Martin and others allegedly stole a 9 mm handgun magazine and a box of ammunition from a Fleet Farm, with prosecutors saying other vehicles involved were carrying fentanyl and marijuana. Public records list his Hennepin County case file as 27-CR-24-24169 and show offender details on the state portal run by the Minnesota Department of Corrections. He appeared in court on March 2 and remains jailed without bail ahead of an April 22 hearing, according to the Star Tribune.
Why it matters
The Hennepin County Violent Offender Task Force is one of the specialized units that routinely runs operations aimed at pulling guns and drugs off Minneapolis streets. Past sweeps have turned up firearms and fentanyl during coordinated raids, part of a broader push to keep repeat offenders from cycling back out with new weapons. WCCO/CBS Minnesota has reported on similar task force crackdowns, illustrating why prosecutors are quick to pursue additional counts when a fugitive is found with a gun or suspected narcotics in the car.
