Daniel Minnick, 37, pleaded no contest Thursday, September 17, to four felony charges stemming from an October 2025 confrontation outside the Roseville police station. Under the sentencing agreement described in court, he is not expected to serve time in prison. The incident left Minnick paralyzed from the chest down and injured a responding officer.
According to freep.com, Minnick pleaded no contest to carrying a weapon with unlawful intent, malicious destruction of fire or police property, and two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon. The charges stem from an October 13, 2025, incident outside the Roseville police station on Gratiot Avenue, where authorities say Minnick rammed a police SUV at a high rate of speed before getting out of his own vehicle while holding a hunting knife more than six inches long.
The officer inside that SUV suffered minor injuries in the collision, the outlet's report notes. Minnick was shot by police after allegedly exiting his vehicle armed with the knife, according to authorities, and the injuries he sustained left him paralyzed from the chest down — he now uses a wheelchair.
A Plea Deal That Rules Out Prison
Minnick entered his pleas before Macomb County Circuit Court Judge Matthew P. Sabaugh, according to newmediadetroit.com. The judge accepted the pleas under what's known in Michigan as a Cobbs agreement, in which a judge gives a preliminary assessment of the sentence that may follow a guilty or no-contest plea. In this case, the agreement calls for no incarceration.
How the Cobbs agreement works
A Michigan Court of Appeals opinion explains that a defendant who pleads guilty or no contest in reliance on a judge's preliminary sentencing evaluation generally may withdraw the plea if the judge later determines that a longer sentence is required. The agreement therefore sets out the judge's anticipated sentencing position but does not eliminate the court's authority to evaluate the sentence before it is imposed. City records list the Roseville Police Department at 29753 Gratiot Avenue, near the city's municipal offices at 29777 Gratiot Avenue, according to the City of Roseville.
Minnick's attorney confirmed the terms in comments to freep.com, saying simply, “There's a Cobbs agreement to no incarceration.” Sentencing is set for Wednesday, November 4, at 9 a.m. before Judge Sabaugh, per the same account. Macomb County Circuit Court sits in Mount Clemens.
Officers Cleared in the Shooting
The confrontation that led to the charges played out in the early morning hours, around 4:30 a.m., in the Roseville police department parking lot. Authorities determined that two officers who fired a combined seven shots at Minnick were justified in doing so and faced no criminal charges as a result, the freep.com report states. Roseville police had asked the Macomb County Sheriff's Office to investigate the shooting independently, and that agency ruled the officers' actions justified.
The shooting and its consequences remain part of the case's sentencing context. Minnick's injuries have left him using a wheelchair, while the officer involved in the collision suffered minor injuries. The final sentence is scheduled to be addressed in November.
Part of a Wider Pattern
The case now moves from the plea stage to sentencing, where Judge Sabaugh is expected to apply the terms of the Cobbs agreement and determine the final disposition.
