Grandma hides grandkids, locks down house when wanted man pounds on door, MN cops say
A Minnesota grandmother helped end a massive manhunt when the wanted suspect, accused of stabbing a woman and injuring another, tried hiding in her home, authorities said.
Shortly after 3 p.m. on Feb. 12, a 69-year-old White Bear Township woman heard “banging and screaming coming from the front door of her house,” according to a Feb. 20 news release from the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office.
At her door was 33-year-old Matthew Dean Liimatainen, and there was a manhunt involving over a dozen law enforcement agencies underway to find him, authorities said.
As the grandmother rushed to lock down her home and hide her grandchildren, Liimatainen entered her garage and hid in a dog kennel, according to the sheriff’s office.
Earlier that day in Aitkin, Liimatainen stabbed a woman and “severely injured” another during a carjacking, the sheriff’s office said.
Liimatainen fled in the truck he stole before ending up about 130 miles south at the woman’s White Bear Township home, authorities said.
Unable to get in, Liimatainen fled again on foot where deputies found him walking down the street, the sheriff’s office said.
He was charged with first-degree assault, first-degree carjacking, theft of a motor vehicle, domestic assault, assault of a peace officer and interfering with a 911 call, KSTP reported.
White Bear Township is about a 20-mile drive northeast from Minneapolis.
This story was originally published February 20, 2025 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Grandma hides grandkids, locks down house when wanted man pounds on door, MN cops say."
