A 68-year-old Saint Paul man is facing felony charges in Ramsey County District Court after allegedly displaying an open pocketknife and threatening a stranger during an argument over a cart of juice at Union Depot. Meryl Calvin Cooper was arrested at the scene on September 6, and prosecutors filed charges of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon and threats of violence on September 8, according to the criminal complaint.
According to the complaint, the confrontation occurred in a bathroom, where the victim was with a cart of juice coolers. The victim told police that Cooper reached toward one of the drinks, and that Cooper opened a pocketknife after being told not to take it. The victim said he felt threatened and believed Cooper intended to kill him. The incident was also reported by mncrime.com.
Surveillance Video and Arrest
Surveillance video described in the criminal complaint allegedly captured Cooper displaying the knife. Officers arrested him at Union Depot and recovered an open pocketknife from his pocket. After being advised of his rights, Cooper spoke with police and said he pulled the knife because he felt threatened.
The charges were filed September 8 in Ramsey County District Court. Cooper is scheduled to appear in court on November 19. Ramsey County felony cases are heard in the Second Judicial District at the Ramsey County Courthouse in downtown Saint Paul.
Union Depot Context
Union Depot says its property has more than 250 security cameras and uses card-access technology to protect restricted areas, according to Union Depot. Those security measures provide broader property context for the surveillance described in the complaint but do not establish the outcome of Cooper’s case. CBS Minnesota reported in May 2022 that a separate Union Depot light-rail-station case involved a man charged with attempted murder and first-degree assault after his girlfriend’s throat was allegedly slashed, a domestic assault case distinct from Cooper’s alleged confrontation with a stranger.
Broader crime figures also do not directly measure this allegation. City of Saint Paul downtown action-series meeting notes reported that violent crime in Ramsey County was down 53% from its 2022 peak, based on January-through-August data, according to the City of Saint Paul.
A Lengthy Criminal History
The complaint says Cooper has seven prior felony convictions dating back to 1996. Those convictions reportedly include forcible rape, two predatory-offender registration violations, second-degree assault, two simple burglaries for inhabited dwellings, and theft. In the prior second-degree assault case, Cooper had threatened a man with a knife at a light-rail platform, the report notes.
Perhaps most alarming to investigators, Cooper had been granted conditional release on separate felony charges in Hennepin County less than three weeks before the Union Depot incident, according to the complaint. That timeline places his alleged threat with a knife just days after he had walked free from a prior case working its way through the courts.
What the Charges Could Mean
Minnesota law sets different penalties for assault charges based on the alleged conduct, injuries and use of a weapon. First-degree assault can carry up to 20 years in prison, while second-degree assault can carry up to 10 years when a dangerous weapon is involved. The potential outcome in Cooper’s case will depend on how the charges proceed; an allegation is not a conviction.
